Dr. ir. Ilse Vermeulen is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Hasselt University, where she works at the intersection of health data, systems transformation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Her path into real-world data was anything but linear. Originally trained as a bio-engineer and earning her PhD in Medical Sciences at the VUB, she did not begin her career in large-scale health-data ecosystems. Those skills were built later—deliberately, creatively, and intensively—under the mentorship of Prof. Liesbet M. Peeters.

Ilse plays a major role as the National Node Manager of OHDSI Belgium, serving as a bridge between Belgian hospitals, researchers, and the broader OHDSI community in Europe and globally. Through this position, she contributes to shaping interoperable health-data infrastructures, fostering collaboration, and supporting both national and international initiatives that advance real-world evidence generation.

When major initiatives she contributed to, such as the MS Data Alliance (2024) and EBRAINS Belgium (2025), ended due to funding constraints, Ilse used these transitions to expand her expertise, deepen her understanding of data governance, and explore how technology, policy, and collaboration intersect in complex health systems.

Colleagues often describe her as a Swiss-knife or jack-of-all-trades: versatile, fast-learning, and able to navigate technical, strategic, and operational challenges with ease. She thrives in complexity—asking the right questions, translating scattered information into clarity, and driving multi-partner collaborations that require both precision and creativity.

Through analyses, workshop reports, and strategic reflections, Ilse helps connect the technical and human dimensions of health-data initiatives. Her work is guided by a simple conviction: meaningful innovation happens not in silos, but in the spaces where disciplines, perspectives, and stakeholders meet.