NWO grant for ELSA Lab AI for equitable care
01-04-2025
The NWO has awarded 2.3 million to a new research initiative on AI in healthcare. The ELSA Lab, which includes collaboration between the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Amsterdam UMC, investigates how AI can be developed fairly and inclusively, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups in healthcare.
AI can improve healthcare, but it also risks widening existing inequalities. AI systems trained with limited datasets could perform less well for diverse populations.
In the ELSA Lab AI for Health Equity, Dutch knowledge institutions (including the UvA, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC), healthcare institutions, companies and patient organisations are trying to work together to ensure that AI contributes to equity in healthcare.
The ELSA Lab is led by professors Anniek de Ruijter (health law) and Julia van Weert (health communication) from the University of Amsterdam. From the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, researchers are involved who use responsible technology to support the health of diverse population groups.
For and by Amsterdam citizens
From the Digital Life research group, professor Somaya Ben Allouch is involved in the ELSA Lab as one of the leads. 'With this lab we can develop AI for and by Amsterdam citizens, to ensure that the people who need it most in our society can also benefit from AI, without anyone's background or position in society working against them, as we have unfortunately experienced before.'
Keeping healthcare accessible
'We want to harness the positive potential, which AI also holds, to ensure that we keep healthcare accessible for all,' Ben Allouch continued. 'This is only possible by working together with citizens and partner organisations. In Amsterdam, through this lab, we are going to show the world that together we can start making this happen.'