Vacancy PhD candidate 'Improving Efficiency and Quality of Care by Implementing AI Solutions in Radiological Clinical Practice'

Job description

We are seeking an ambitious PhD candidate to work on this three-year project, which should result in a PhD thesis. The goal of this PhD project is to quantify the added value of specific AI tools in radiology. You will implement and evaluate two commercial AI tools in clinical practice across 3 hospitals in the Netherlands.

In the Radboudumc, together with Isala (Zwolle) and the Meander MC (Amersfoort), AI tools for the evaluation chest radiographs and CT brain will be implemented. The project focuses both on the evaluation of (cost)efficiency and its diagnostic accuracy. 

Background
In recent years, the number of radiological exams has grown significantly, but this growth has not kept pace with the number of available radiologists. This has led to an increasing workload and a rise in burnout complaints among radiologists. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) offers a promising solution to alleviate this pressure. AI can not only improve diagnostic accuracy but also enhance workflow efficiency and the comfort of radiologists. This aligns with the government's goal to implement AI in healthcare, ensuring that care remains affordable and staffing shortages are addressed.

AI has the potential to significantly enhance radiology by improving both diagnostic accuracy and workflow efficiency. By automating routine tasks, such as the detection of normal images, AI allows radiologists to focus their expertise on more complex and critical cases. This not only reduces the cognitive load on radiologists but also helps streamline the overall diagnostic process, potentially leading to faster and more accurate results. Furthermore, AI can assist in identifying subtle abnormalities that may be missed by the human eye, thereby improving diagnostic outcomes. Overall, the integration of AI into radiology holds great promise for increasing efficiency, reducing burnout, and improving patient care, all while helping to address the growing demand for radiological services.

The Radboudumc, and the supervising team, has a great experience in developing and evaluating AI tools in radiology. In previous projects of the diagnostic image analysis group (DIAG) of the radiology department, other AI tools have been tested in a pre-clinical or clinical setting. Radiology HealthAIRegister was developed to create an overview of existing CE marked AI products in radiology. In Project AIR, multiple AI tools for the same tasks were compared. Now prospective clinical evaluation studies should determine the added value of AI in clinical practice, for both radiologists and patients.

Place of work

This project is a collaboration between clinical researchers of the Department of Medical Imaging of the Radboud University Medical Center, the Isala Hospital in Zwolle and the Meander Medical Center in Amersfoort. You will collaborate with all three participating hospitals. You will be mainly stationed in the Radboudumc, where you will be appointed as a researcher.

Radboudumc
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where scientific breakthroughs are born through the curiosity and passion of our collaborating researchers in a vibrant environment. We believe trust and excitement are crucial elements to achieving our goals, and we approach our research as teams and with the utmost rigor to make a significant impact on health and healthcare. Our researchers are driven by their fascination with the biological, psychological, and sociological mechanisms underlying health and healthcare. They collaborate with partners from all over the world to improve health outcomes for all. Radboudumc unites patient care, research, education, and corporate learning, which allows us to approach our mission to shape the health and healthcare of the future in an innovative and person-centered way.

Our ambition is to lead the way in the pursuit of prevention, sustainability, meaningful care. We believe that through our research, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of society. Join us on our mission to make a difference in healthcare. Become a part of our community of gifted researchers, professionals or patient partners who are dedicated to making a real impact on population health and healthcare. 

Read what it is like to do a PhD at the Radboud University Medical Center.

Profile

You have a MSc degree (or equivalent) in (Technical) Medicine and a strong interest in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. Moreover you have excellent communication skills in English and the ability and willingness to work in an interdisciplinary research team across multiple hospitals. 

Employment conditions

At Radboud university medical center, you build on your future. We are committed to providing the best care, education, and research. And we are true to our word, because we help you develop and seize opportunities and give you the room to grow. As an employer, we believe that employees should feel vital and happy at work in all stages of life. We are also committed to creating a healthy and safe working environment. Our employment conditions contribute to that. What we offer:

• The salary depends on education. Scale 10 will be offered to MSc medical graduates; you will start at scale 10, step 0(€ 3.493 full-time). Those holding degrees in other disciplines will be offered scale 10A: upon commencement of employment, you will start at scale 10A, step 0 (€ 3.017 full-time). You will also receive an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a 47% to 72% bonus for working unsocial hours.
• From 1 July 2025 an increase in salary with 3%.
• 176 vacation hours per year based on a 36-hour working week. 

And there is more..

• An Employment Conditions Selection Model, allowing you to use part of your employment conditions to your choosing. For example, you can use your gross salary to purchase additional vacation hours or hours for providing informal caregiving. Or, for example, you can use your gross end-of-year bonus to purchase a bicycle, so you pay less tax.
• Plenty of opportunities for personal development. You can take a variety of courses in our online learning environment. 
• Your well-being and vitality are a priority. For example:
  • Save time for work-life balance leave. 
  • You can enjoy unlimited access to a variety of activities five days a month and take advantage of all the facilities at Radboud Sport & Culture for only €27.05 per month (instead of €41)
  • Healthy Professionals program to help you manage your energy. 
  • Company Support Team and a personal coach if you are going through a life-changing event.
  • Financially beneficial working less through a Generation Scheme as you approach state pension age.
• Support in achieving a good work-life balance at every stage of your life. Examples:
  • Advice and courses on, for example, 'Millennial dilemmas' and 'Your Career After 57'.
  • Activities at our own mindfulness center.
  • Informal caregiving consultations if you have questions about juggling work and caregiving responsibilities at home.
• In addition to statutory pregnancy and maternity leave, Radboud university medical center offers 26 weeks of parental leave, nine of which are paid. In addition, as a partner you can take a maximum of five weeks of supplementary partner leave. During supplementary partner leave and parental leave, we supplement the UWV benefit up to 100% of your salary.
• Pension accrual at the ABP Pension Fund. Radboud university medical center pays 70% of the pension premium. 
• Discounts on supplementary packages of two group health insurances and ten other types of insurance, from home insurance to legal assistance.
• An allowance for your commuting costs of € 0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km one way. If you use public transport to commute, we will fully reimburse the public transport costs (2nd class). If you regularly work from home, you will receive a working from home allowance of € 2.40 per day.

Application procedure

Are you ready to think further for our patients and our care? We would like to receive your application before 21 April 2025. We will then contact you shortly.

Good to know

• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).
• You can find more information about our application procedure and frequently asked questions on our website.
• Will you be our new colleague? Then you will be given the time and space to get to know your role, your workplace, and your colleagues. An induction day for all new colleagues is an integral part of your onboarding program. 

We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!

Contact

Any questions? Or wondering what it is like to work at Radboudumc? Then send an email to dr. Steven Schalekamp, radiologist. Use the Apply button to submit your application.