Ward Cottaar is a Full Professor and Chair of Instrumentation Design at Eindhoven University of Technology, as well as Director of the School of Medical Physics and Engineering Eindhoven. His main research areas are Healthcare Information System and, Medical Technology and he is mainly interested in the application of technologies in real life settings. 

The School of Medical Physics and Engineering trains technology professionals to work effectively in the healthcare environment. The focus is in the area of medical technology and information systems. Through the PDEng programs Clinical Informatics and Qualified Medical Engineer, as well as other projects with PhDs, the aim is to have a real impact on the world of healthcare professionals and patients. Examples of projects that have had such an impact include significantly better control of hospital IT and application infrastructure, smooth information flow in the pre-operative process, and a start-up company on technology for better care for pre-term babies. The school runs projects throughout the Netherlands, primarily in hospitals, from smaller regional hospitals to large academic centers, as well as other care institutions. Although technologies may be very promising, fitting them in the day-to-day healthcare processes can be challenging: on a technical level (how do technologies connect?), a ‘people’ level (how do they experience technology is really a benefit to them?) and on an organizational level (e.g. how can financing be organized?). The school plans to move beyond application towards more scientific projects, relying on experience built up in more than 100 projects.