Egge van der Poel

Are you curious about the possibilities and limitations of Artificial Intelligence? How can you use this technology in an appropriate way to increase and accelerate the learning capability of your organization? Egge van der Poel has seen the inside of many organizations and shares his lessons learned and vision for a data-driven and human-centered future.

You only start to see it when you realize it: complexity is all around us. But, unfortunately, it is also often used as an excuse for maintaining the status quo. And that hinders the transitions that are needed. Let’s think beyond determinism and focus on learning as a strategy. Curious what this means for you? Egge van der Poel is happy to help you with this in a customized lecture with impact.

Together with Nart Wielaard and Martijn Buitenhuis, Egge van der Poel wrote the bestseller ‘Geheelmeesters’. Quite a lot goes well in health care. And that may actually be called a miracle, because doctors hardly learn anything from each other’s work, administrators do not learn from experiences in other sectors, (financial) structures discourage cooperation and learning, and the potential of new data-driven technology is poorly utilized. A call to uncompromisingly design radically better care. Coming soon in the Van Dale:

• Ge·heel·mees·ter (de; m,v,x; meervoud: geheelmeesters): Zorgprofessional die buiten de eigen kolom kijkt, kennis deelt en zich compromisloos inzet om een toekomstvaste zorg te ontwerpen.

How do we distribute the benefits and risks of data use fairly(er)? What principles from science and practice give room for regenerative data use, of and for the community? Zoom out as well as in with Egge as your travel guide.

In a rapidly changing world, with multiple and complex (healthcare) challenges, it is tempting to embrace data-driven work. With powerful algorithms and A.I., tasks can be performed at lightning speed. Besides this data-driven reflex, it is also very important to train reflexivity: are we doing things right and are we doing the right things? How can we tackle major social issues with a data-driven and learning approach?

Egge is a perfect chairman of the day who stands out for his keenness on conversations and ensuring time is kept, keeping the meeting smooth and engaging.

He has earned his reputation in the healthcare sector, which he brings to the table as chairman of the day. With his humor, he knows how to lighten the mood and hold the audience’s attention.

With a master’s degree in engineering physics and PhD in experimental particle physics, Egge is a true beta, you would think. His bachelor’s degree in philosophy suggests otherwise. But it is precisely these opposites that are complementary to each other, allowing him to connect perspectives from science and philosophy in a unique and practical way.

Egge has always had a passion for communication and education. How could it be otherwise, with a mother as a teacher? In elementary school, he enjoyed explaining lessons to classmates, and later he tutored and even stood in front of a high school classroom for a while. During his studies he took the minor in Education and has since helped develop several educational programs at TIAS and JADS, among others. He is particularly interested in enhancing the learning capability of organizations, constantly considering this question and inspiring others to do the same.

Egge’s knowledge of how Big Data and AI works is something he knows how to portray for his audience, bringing up recognizable real-life situations and case histories that have passed in review during his career. In a fiery argument, he explains that it is not technology, but people stuck in existing systems that hinder progress. In short; “We need to start thinking and acting differently.“

Those who can see and understand different perspectives are capable of change. Egge has a talent for building bridges between different disciplines. In doing so, he opens new worlds for his audience that bring about new perspectives of seeing.

Years ago, Egge faced a choice in the continuation of his career: will it be science communication, education or healthcare? He chose healthcare. What is striking is that all these options are focused on public domains, and that is characteristic of Egge. People are central to everything he does, which is why he feels particularly committed to healthcare.

“People in healthcare go through fire for their patients, even if it means they are predatory to themselves, that’s what we need to stand for together as a society.“

“I always come back to the African wisdom of ‘Ubuntu; I am because we are.’ I truly believe that we get further together than individually. In 2007 I returned to my native Zambia, which was a magical experience. You experience there that you don’t need much to be happy, and that being kind to each other is so much more valuable than pursuing possessions.

My own mission, despite my varied background, is very focused: to ensure that we make smarter use of the untapped potential of data and the untapped potential of people. That too can only succeed if cooperation is established.”

“You could say that I have made my mark in my field in the healthcare industry. I’m still idealistic enough to inspire, but also realistic enough not to be fooled. I am able to connect the bigger and the smaller, which I think is a characteristic that not many people have.”

“There are so many of them! For example Lynn Berger, she writes about healthcare for The Correspondent and says in one of her articles: healthcare is not a system, but a tissue. That image is very powerful, because care is in everything.

I also find Mandela – like many with me – very special. His story is about remaining calm and composed and staying on your path despite resistance and setbacks. Very impressive. Just like the ancient Greeks, who back then were already asking the big questions we are still dealing with today.

I also admire Niels Bohr; a Danish physicist and one of the founders of CERN. He was the counterpart of Einstein, who was seen as the genius at the time. Bohr was more humble, but he gave science the tools to really use quantum mechanics.

And finally, I have enormous admiration for people like my brother and sister, who put their heart and soul into healthcare. My sister as a nurse, my brother as a general practitioner. Nothing is too much for either of them and they go through fire for their patients. It’s that simple, there is so much beauty happening around us, but we don’t always see it.”

“I spend a lot of my time home with my kids, my Wednesdays I devote entirely to them. Spending time together and being there for each other is so essential. I don’t get caught up in the race for possessions.”

“That I answer the question; ‘faster, better and smarter learning, why is that important in healthcare organizations?’ I show my audience that when you take knowledge from real data (from practice) and make it accessible, collective wisdom emerges. This helps every healthcare professional and thus the (potential) patient. Based on that knowledge, for example, better decisions can be made and truly the right care can be delivered at the individual level.”