Professor Martine C. de Vries’ research focuses on three pillars: the notion of the Learning Healthcare System (LHS), vulnerable patient groups in healthcare, and empirical ethics methodology. Her LHS-research focuses on consent, ownership, and review issues in biobanks, when (re)using biological materials (especially stem cells and immortal cell lines), electronic health record data, as well as big data and artificial intelligence. In her research on vulnerable patient groups, she focuses on dependent relationships during the recruitment for research studies and on consent issues. Professor de Vries uses guidance ethics, a value-sensitive design method, to support responsible (stem cell-based) therapy innovation and practice.

Professor de Vries is principal investigator within reNEW’s PREPARE theme. She works at Leiden University Medical Center where she is professor of Medical Ethics and Health Law and pediatrician. She is also member of the Committee on Ethics and Law Health of the Health Council of the Netherlands (Gezondheidsraad), member of the Central Committee on Research involving Human Subjects (CCMO) and chair of the Netherlands Center for Ethics and Health (CEG). Her aim is to make researchers, clinicians, and decision makers aware of the ethical perspective in their work, improving patient care as well as biomedical and medical research.