Associate professor eHealth, Medical Technology Research Group, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Haarlem.
Expertise: persuasive eHealth, human-machine interactions, qualitative research methods.
Main research topics evolve around the development and usability of eHealth in the practice. On the one hand it aims at the development of eHealth to provide user-friendly and personalized digital solutions, promoting behavioral changes and self-management. On the other hand, it investigates how eHealth can improve interprofessional collaboration between healthcare professionals. Persuasive design techniques are used to develop innovative digital solutions, coupled with a co-creation approach with the concerned stakeholders.
Laurence participates in various projects and consortia related to the development of personalized and accessible digital solutions such as Vitale Delta and Medical Delta Living Lab Geriatrics Rehabilitation @Home. Previous to her employment at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, she conducted research at TNO (Department of Healthcare Innovation and Life Style Expertise Center) and at the Leiden University Medical Center (Department of Healthcare Informatics). Abroad, Laurence worked as a senior researcher and post-doc at Research Institute INRIA (France) and Geneva University Hospital (Switzerland).
Laurence is an associate editor of Health Informatics Journal (HIJ) and a regular reviewer for various scientific healthcare informatics journals such as JMIR (Journal Medical Internet Research), Behaviour & Information Technology, BMC Public Health, and for research grants submitted at ZonMw.
Laurence has PhD in Cognitive Science and a Master in Artificial Intelligence & Knowledge Based Systems (United Kingdom).
Within MetaHealth Laurence has been the lead of work package 6: Knowledge utilization and participation, since the beginning of the project. Due to early retirement, her colleague Janine Sikkens takes over from January 2025. As co-promotor of the WP6 PhD student Lea Hohendorf, Laurence remains for the foreseeable future contributing to MetaHealth.
Read also about MetaHealth on www.inholland.nl (Dutch).
Laurence can be contacted via LinkedIn or via email laurencealpay@gmail.com
