In the Spotlight -
Meet Marlies Schijven
At AI4ALL we’d like to inspire others by featuring women role models who are making a difference in AI. We aim to empower women who are working in AI by highlighting their success stories. This way we hope to inspire other women and girls to get into STEM-related fields. In our series ‘In the Spotlight’ we shine a light on an expert in the field and today we’d like you to meet Marlies Schijven.
Written by Myrthe van den Berg
Meet Marlies: Surgeon, Researcher, Innovator
Professor Marlies Schijven works where two worlds collide: the operating room and the frontier of AI and digital health. As a practicing upper gastrointestinal surgeon at Amsterdam UMC and a full professor of Digital Health at the University of Amsterdam, she explores how technology and AI can strengthen healthcare for both patients and providers. “My work is about finding how technology and AI can fit optimally in healthcare,” she explained. “It also means bringing these developments into medical education.”
Her work begins by connecting different parts of the healthcare system and its stakeholders. “I make an effort to bridge initiatives, perceptions, and regulations of the work floor within and between governing bodies,” she said. Her approach shows how collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and policymakers can make digital health solutions both practical and effective.
Leading AI initiatives and Digital Healthcare in practice
Marlies leads several initiatives that explore how AI and digital innovation can support healthcare, each focusing on different aspects of clinical practice, research, and policy. Her contributions have been recognized with the Societal Impact Award from Amsterdam UMC.
Her clinical experience led her to introduce the Black Box in European operating rooms, the first AI-enabled data recorder designed to assist healthcare workers. It is now widely used to generate insights and help teams reflect on their work.
One of her key research projects is the KEEPCARING consortium, a Horizon Europe program developing a foundational AI model to support healthcare workers and hospitals in reducing stress. “Healthcare professionals dedicate themselves to caring for others,” she noted. “With KEEPCARING, AI can return the favor and help support them and maintain resilience.” She builds bridges across domains, working with the Amsterdam Data Science Center in the HAVA lab, where she supervises several PhD students, especially in the video AI domain.
“Healthcare professionals dedicate themselves to caring for others, with KEEPCARING, AI can return the favor.”
As the first Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Marlies plays a major role in the National AI Field Norm. She also works as a consultant on EU subsidiary calls and serves as an independent evaluator for the EU, carefully following guidelines to avoid conflicts of interest.
Using this experience, she has written several articles on the opportunities, use, and risk of AI in healthcare. Her scientific research can be found through her webpage (ORCID ID). Her public articles can be found here (both Dutch and English). She is also editor for several indexed journals, including one on surgical innovation that focuses on digital health and AI.
Building a Human-Centered AI Future
Beyond her research and clinical work, Marlies mentors and supports the next generation of healthcare professionals and researchers. She founded the Amsterdam Public Health Digital Health research program to help young researchers develop their projects and navigate the rapidly evolving field.
She acts as an ambassador and speaker, promoting explainable and fair AI in healthcare. In her advocacy, she encourages colleagues to look beyond large language and vision-language models, exploring foundational and agentic AI models to create futureproof healthcare initiatives. She shares her findings widely, including on social media, always crediting collaborators and inviting new voices to contribute, and even offers interaction via a virtual avatar on her website.
As an active surgeon and researcher, Marlies collaborates with Data Science Amsterdam and many Dutch and EU partners to build resilient networks that use AI responsibly, always keeping humans at the center of care. Through these efforts, Marlies not only advances digital health but also ensures that emerging researchers and professionals are prepared to integrate AI responsibly and effectively into healthcare systems. She emphasizes that, above all, humans must remain in the loop, especially in healthcare.
Celebrating inspiring women in the field of AI
Marlies is part of the nominees of the AI4Her Awards. This is an initiative by AI4ALL that celebrates the remarkable contributions of women in Artificial Intelligence. We look for women innovators in the AI field that need to be put in the spotlight. By showcasing these inspiring role models, we promote gender diversity and foster a more inclusive and innovative AI community. Read more about the Awards here.
During the AI4ALL Summit on November 5th, some of these trailblazing nominees will showcase their work. Join us for an inspiring day of learning, networking, and discovering how AI can empower your personal and professional journey. Make sure you’ll reserve your ticket(s) here and be inspired.
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