Biostatistician Ruben Deneer: 'Not everything can be put into numbers'

The career of Ruben Deneer, who graduated in Biomedical Engineering from TU/e in 2017, took a slightly different course than most PhD students. For example, after his propaedeutic year he first worked as a bus driver for eight years. After that, university beckoned again, but because of this 'life experience' he has consciously chosen research that is of practical use.

He opted for biostatistics: statistics, but then focused on medical practice. There is no doubt about its practical usefulness, now even more than ever. Graphs showing the predicted numbers of infections and possible new corona 'waves' still play a major role in fighting the pandemic. 

In his research, Deneer creates models based on biomedical data to make predictions that help doctors make the right diagnoses. With his knowledge, he was able to develop a rapid screening for the emergency room last year, in collaboration with the Catharina Hospital. Based on blood values, corona could be ruled out more quickly in incoming patients, allowing the capacity of ICU beds to be used more efficiently. 

In the latest episode of our Dutch science podcast Sound of Science, you'll hear all about this discovery and his take on the current role of biostatistics in the corona pandemic. But also what's involved in finding the right connections in medical data and how to avoid tricky thinking errors.

You can listen to the conversation with Ruben Deneer in the player below. Or go to your favorite podcast platform and search for 'Sound of Science'. Subscribe to the channel to automatically be notified of new episodes!