Healthbridgers Contributes to Young Care Improvers Event 2026

How do we accelerate the implementation of healthcare innovation?

This was the central question during the Young Care Improvers Event 2026, held on May 28 at Coöperatie VGZ. The event brought together young professionals, healthcare leaders, and innovators to explore how promising healthcare innovations can successfully move from concept to routine practice.

The afternoon opened with a welcome from Cas Ceulen (Coöperatie VGZ), followed by an inspiring keynote by Prof. Dr. Cornelis Boersma (Open Universiteit). He outlined the challenges facing future healthcare systems and highlighted the critical role that prevention can play in improving health outcomes while ensuring long-term sustainability.

Representing Healthbridgers, Dr. Roelof van Leeuwen and Michiel Zietse shared insights from their work supporting healthcare innovation and implementation. Their presentation focused on the complexities of bringing sustainable and efficient care solutions into practice, emphasizing the importance of aligning stakeholders, understanding diverse interests, and generating the evidence needed to support adoption and scale-up.

The session demonstrated that successful implementation requires more than a strong innovation alone. It depends on effective collaboration between healthcare professionals, providers, payers, industry partners, and patients to create shared value and overcome barriers to change.

The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring Guus Janssen (Andros Clinics) and Martijn Kers (Coöperatie VGZ), who reflected on the opportunities and challenges involved in driving healthcare transformation.

Healthbridgers is proud to have contributed to this valuable discussion and would like to thank Coöperatie VGZ for hosting the event, as well as all partners and participants for their engagement and insights.

As healthcare systems continue to face increasing pressure, collaboration and effective implementation will be essential to ensuring that innovative solutions translate into meaningful improvements for patients and society.