dr. L.L. (Lilian) Peters
Research interests
I work as an assistant professor/clinical epidemiologist at the following institutions:
University Medical Center Groningen, Department
Primary and Long-term Care (Midwifery Science and the Academic
General Practice Living Lab)
Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and
Midwifery (Australia)
My research focuses on advancing Women's Health with data-driven innovations. Using regional, national and international primary and secondary electronic health record (EHR)-data, I examine how single and multiple events during the reproductive life course influence long-term maternal health. Additionally, I have initiated data collection efforts tailored to the Dutch healthcare context, including the establishment of the Lifelines Reproductive Origins of Adult Health and Disease cohort and recurring online surveys, such as the Birth Experience Study, to provide nuanced insights into women’s health and well-being.
As an epidemiologist specialising in EHR-data, I responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by leading initiatives that leveraged both structured primary care data (e.g., diagnostic codes) and unstructured primary care data (e.g., doctors’ notes). In several COVID-19 projects, my team combined conventional statistical methods with advanced AI techniques—such as natural language processing—to monitor care pathways, healthcare seeking behaviour, and predict adverse outcomes. This work transformed EHR-data into actionable insights, ultimately improving health outcomes across the general and diverse populations e.g. pregnant women, elderly persons, and acute/post-COVID-19 patients.
Building on expertise in both maternal and general practice, I established a Women’s Health Data Research Infrastructure, linking EHR-data from three general practice (GP) research networks with national maternity care registries. This infrastructure will be further enriched with data from social, economic and personal domains. My goal is to develop a sustainable, reusable infrastructure for women’s health research, bridging gaps between healthcare, epidemiology, and data science.