Clinical Epidemiology
Staff members of the research area Clinical Epidemiology are active in two theme areas: development and evaluation of clinical innovations, and aetiology of life-style related disease across the life course.
- Clinical innovations that we study include diagnostic and screening tests, clinical prediction models, therapeutic and preventive interventions. We also develop and evaluate methodology for clinical prediction modelling.
- Our aetiologic research aims at identifying risk factors of chronic conditions during early life and youth. In particular, we also study the influence of nutrition and underlying molecular pathways on health outcomes.
We work together with departments of the Maastricht University Medical Centre (including oncology, cardiology, emergency medicine, obstetrics & gynaecology, medical microbiology, and dermatology) and other hospitals and research institutes throughout the world.
Head: Prof. Dr. Luc Smits
Themes
Development and Evaluation of Clinical Innovations
Development and evaluation of risk assessment tools, diagnostic instruments, and preventive and therapeutic interventions. Methodologic studies in clinical prediction.
Aetiology of Lifestyle-Related Disease across the Life Course
Risk factor studies of early-life chronic conditions, and nutritional epidemiology.
Cohorts
The KOALA birth cohort
KOALA is a prospective study, with follow up from pregnancy into young adulthood, on environmental and lifestyle factors influencing childhood health outcome.
LucKi
In LucKi-Gut we study determinants of child’s gut microbiota development in early life and the influence of gut microbial composition on health outcomes.
Expect
We developed and evaluated the Expect Calculator: an early-pregnancy tool for the midwife and gynecologist to assess risks of pregnancy complications.
Courses
Clinical Prediction Models
Development, internal and external validation, impact evaluation of clinical prediction models. Yearly small-scale 4-day course in Dutch.