Overview Research Education Projects Media Contact
Fields of interest
Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Reconstructive Medicine Biomaterials Quality and Safety in Health Care Always looking for collaboration projects (public/private). See also: mst.nl/thoraxcentrum
Expertise Medicine and Dentistry Patient Heart Surgery Mobilization Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Heart Evaluation Study Lung Surgeon Organisations Frank Halfwerk (1989) obtained his Bachelor (2010) and Master of Science (2014) degree in Technical Medicine, with a specialisation in Reconstructive Medicine at the University of Twente. He also finished a Master in Health Sciences with a specialisation in Health Services and Management in 2014 at the same university. He started as a Technical Physician and external Doctoral Candidate in October 2014 in cardio-thoracic surgery at Thorax Centrum Twente (Medisch Spectrum Twente) and in the department of Biomechanical Engineering in the ‘Technology in Cardiac Surgery’ group of prof. Grandjean.
As of 2020, he works as an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Organ Support Technologies group from prof. Jutta Arens where he is principle investigator of the Cardiac Surgery Innovations Lab.
His focus is both on technical and applied innovations in cardio-thoracic surgery. This includes personalised rehabilitation after cardiac surgery with accelerometers and artificial intelligence, simulation-based surgical training, 3D-planning, and surgical technology assessment.
He was awarded the Prof. Snellen Award (2014) from the Dutch Society for Cardiology / Dutch Society for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, and the Prof. Schuijer Campus Culture Prize (2012) for 'combining excellent cultural performance with good study results'. His research was nominated for the prof. David Winter Young Investigator Award from the International Society of Biomechanics (2015).
He is co-applicant and project manager of awarded research projects and supervised over 70 bachelor- and master students.
Other interests include dancing in national and international ballroom competitions, playing chess, organising, politics, health care policy.
Publications Jump to: 2025 | 2024
Artificial Placenta and Artificial Womb Technologies for Lung and Kidney Failure: A Holistic Perspective (2025) ASAIO Journal . van Galen, D. J. M., Martins Costa, A., Siche-Pantel, F., Kemper, R., Rochow, N., Brandani, M., Halfwerk, F. R. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1097/mat.0000000000002443 Validation and optimization of a blood transfusion prediction model for low transfusion rate adult cardiac surgery (2025) Perfusion (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Haumann, R., Plonek, T., Niesten, E., Maaskant, J., Arens, J., van der Palen, J. & Halfwerk, F. https://doi.org/10.1177/02676591251334903 In-house patient-specific preoperative three-dimensional visualisation for anatomical lung resections (2025) [Contribution to conference › Abstract] Annual Meeting of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland , SCTS 2025 . Halfwerk, F. R. , Torrenga, F., van Doremalen, R., Laven, I. E. W. G., Arens, J., de Loos, E. R. & Martina, B. No-touch aorta off-pump LIMA-radial Y-graft CABG: A safe strategy for all-comers: Long term follow up of a preferred treatment approach (2025) [Contribution to conference › Poster] Annual Meeting of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland , SCTS 2025 . Mendyke, D., Plonek, T. & Halfwerk, F. R. In situ and patient-specific simulation-based training for low volume high complex cardio-thoracic surgery: The Twente practice (2025) [Contribution to conference › Abstract] Dutch Society for Simulation in Healthcare Conference, DSSH 2025 . Halfwerk, F. R. , Smits, K., Torrenga, F., Speekenbrink, R. G. H., Martina, B. & Arens, J. Surgical Skills training with PRIDE - Pre-clinical Redesign with Inclusiveness, Diversity and Equity (2025) [Contribution to conference › Poster] Dutch Society for Simulation in Healthcare Conference, DSSH 2025 . Nabben, T., Halfwerk, F. R. & Arens, J. Brain Pro-TCT: A prospective, quasi-experimental study on early delirium detection with Delirium Observation Screening Scale vs. single-channel EEG after cardiac surgery in patients aged over 70 years (2025) European journal of cardiovascular nursing . Article zvaf024 (E-pub ahead of print/First online). ten Broeke, M., Henckens, W. P. R., Weierink, A., Speekenbrink, R. G. H., van der Palen, J. & Halfwerk, F. R. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjcn/zvaf024 Non-Interchangeability between Heart Rate Variability and Pulse Rate Variability During Supine-to-Stand Tests (2025) [Working paper › Preprint]. ArXiv.org. Lin, R., Halfwerk, F. , Laverman, G. D., Donker, D. & Wang, Y. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.07535 Author Correction: Ex vivo validation of magnetically actuated intravascular untethered robots in a clinical setting: Ex vivo validation of magnetically actuated intravascular untethered robots in a clinical setting (Communications Engineering, (2024), 3, 1, (68), 10.1038/s44172-024-00215-2) (2025) Communications Engineering, 4 . Article 16 (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Ligtenberg, L.-J. W., Rabou, N. C. A., Goulas, C., Duinmeijer, W. C., Halfwerk, F. R. , Arens, J., Lomme, R., Magdanz, V., Klingner, A., Rot, E. A. M. K., Nijland, C. H. E., Wasserberg, D., Liefers, H. R., Jonkheijm, P., Susarrey-Arce, A., Warlé, M. & Khalil, I. S. M.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-025-00353-1 Aging effect on the interchangeability between heart rate variability and pulse rate variability (2025) [Contribution to conference › Abstract] Techmed Researchday 2025 . Lin, R., Halfwerk, F. R. , Laverman, G. D., Donker, D. W. & Wang, Y. Simulating Skin Sympathetic Nerve Activity: A Mathematical Model (2025) [Contribution to conference › Abstract] 10th Dutch Biomedical Engineering Conference, BME 2025 . Lin, R., Halfwerk, F. R. , Donker, D. W., Laverman, G. D. & Wang, Y. Ex vivo validation of magnetically actuated intravascular untethered robots in a clinical setting (2024) Communications Engineering, 3 . Article 68. Ligtenberg, L.-J. W., Rabou, N. C. A., Goulas, C., Duinmeijer, W., Halfwerk, F. R. , Arens, J., Lomme, R., Magdanz, V., Klingner, A., Klein Rot, E. A. M., Nijland, C. H. E., Wasserberg, D., Liefers, H. R., Jonkheijm, P., Susarrey-Arce, A., Warlé, M. & Khalil, I. S. M.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-024-00215-2 Comparison of Delirium Observation Screening Scale versus Single-Channel EEG after Cardiac Surgery in elderly patients: Brain Pro-TCT Study (2024) [Contribution to conference › Poster] 19th Annual Meeting of the European Delirium Association, EDA 2024 . Ten Broeke, M., Henckens, W. P. R., Weierink, A., Speekenbrink, R. G. H., van der Palen, J. & Halfwerk, F. R. Three-dimensional heart modelling of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy for in situ patient-specific simulation to optimise septal myectomy (2024) Innovations: Technology and Techniques in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, 19 (5), 532-540. Smits, K., Speekenbrink, R. G. H., Hekman, E. E. G., Koenrades, M. A., Heeringa, T., Arens, J. & Halfwerk, F. R. https://doi.org/10.1177/15569845241273538 A Mathematical Model for Skin Sympathetic Nerve Activity Simulation (2024) [Working paper › Preprint]. ArXiv.org. Lin, R., Halfwerk, F. , Donker, D., Laverman, G. D. & Wang, Y. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2408.05934 Assessing Realism Of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator Simulators – Development And Application Of An Objective Fidelity Classification Framework (2024) The International journal of artificial organs, 47 (7), 476-476. Halfwerk, F. R. , Duinmeijer, W. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540 Development of a Novel Artificial Lung And Kidney Assist Device – From Fiber Specifications to Device Design (2024) The International journal of artificial organs, 47 (7), 474-475. Martins Costa, A., Halfwerk, F. , Wiegmann, B., Thiel, J.-N., Neidlin , M. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540 Simulation-Based Training With Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator Simulators – A Training Needs Analysis (2024) The International journal of artificial organs, 47 (7), 478-479. Halfwerk, F. R. , Duinmeijer, W., Groenier, M. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540 The artificial placenta - Development of a lung and kidney assist device for criticallly ill preterm neonates (2024) The International journal of artificial organs, 47 (7), 518-519. van Galen, D., Rochow, N., Haag, U., Fusch, C., Martins Costa, A., Halfwerk, F. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540 Contemporary CABG practice in the Netherlands 2005 – 2020: Increased arterial grafting, stable cardiopulmonary bypass use, good outcomes (2024) [Contribution to conference › Poster] Nederlandse Hart Registratie Symposium 2024 . Halfwerk, F. R. , Speekenbrink, R. G. H., Meinema, S., Roefs, M. M., Plonek, T. & Cardiochirurgie, R. Classifying simulators and simulations for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) - A review with a new framework on classifying fidelity (2024) In SESAM Annual Meeting 2024 Abstract Book (pp. 380-381). Halfwerk, F. R. , Duinmeijer, W., Swol, J., Brio, J. R. d., Obreja, V. L., Puślecki, M. & Arens, J. https://eu.eventscloud.com/website/12346/home/ ECMOve: A Mobilization Device for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Patients (2024) ASAIO Journal, 70 (5), 377-386. van Galen, D. J. M., Meinders, Q., Halfwerk, F. R. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1097/mat.0000000000002153 The optimal treatment for patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer: minimally invasive lobectomy versus stereotactic ablative radiotherapy – a nationwide cohort study (2024) Lung cancer, 191 . Article 107792. Ruiter, J. C. d., Noort, V. v. d., Diessen, J. N. A. v., Smit, E. F., Damhuis, R., Hartemink, K. & Halfwerk, F. R. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2024.107792 TRACKing or TRUSTing transfusion prediction: Validation of Red blood cell transfusion prediction models for low transfusion rate cardiac surgery and high transfusion rate post-cardiotomy veno-arterial extracorporeal life support (2024) [Contribution to conference › Poster] 12th EuroELSO 2024 . Haumann, R. G., Alp, R., Płonek, T. P., Niesten, E. D., Maaskant, J. M., Mariani, S., Wiegmann, B., Arens, J., van der Palen, J. & Halfwerk, F. R. Influence of utilizing hemodialysis membranes outside-in on solute clearance and filtration efficiency – One step towards a novel combined lung and kidney support device (2024) Journal of membrane science, 698 . Article 122575. Martins Costa, A., Halfwerk, F. R. , Thiel, J.-N., Wiegmann, B., Neidlin, M. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2024.122575 Research profiles As a Technical Physician in Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, I am involved in courses and modules of Technical Medicine, Health Sciences and Biomedial Engineering. Together with Erik Groot Jebbink, we completely revised the applied Surgical Skills course in 2015 in the Master phase of Technical Medicine.
Next, I am daily supervisor of interns in Technical Medicine at the Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Thorax Centrum Twente, Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital.
Affiliated study programs Courses academic year 2025/2026 Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.
Courses academic year 2024/2025 Courses academic year 2023/2024 
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