Hall in Tirol is a town in western Austria, located just a few kilometers from Innsbruck. Situated in the Inn Valley and surrounded by the Alps, Hall has historically been an important center for trade and commerce. Its strategic location along major trade routes contributed to its economic significance, particularly during the Middle Ages. The town’s well-preserved medieval architecture and historic institutions reflect its long-standing importance in the region. Today, Hall is known not only for its cultural heritage but also as a center for education and research.
Founded in 2001, UMIT TIROL is a leading private university specializing in health sciences, medical informatics, nursing sciences, medical technology, and psychology. The university is dedicated to advancing research and education in healthcare, addressing the increasing role of digitalization, data science, and technological innovation in medicine and health professions.
With a strong focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and applied research, UMIT TIROL actively partners with international institutions, hospitals, and industry leaders. Key research areas include digital health solutions, artificial intelligence in healthcare, big data applications, telemedicine, and clinical decision support systems. By integrating emerging technologies into medical education and healthcare practice, UMIT TIROL contributes to the development of innovative training methods and evidence-based improvements in patient care.
With its strong academic foundation, international collaborations, and commitment to innovation, UMIT TIROL continues to shape the future of healthcare education and research. It remains a dynamic center for learning and discovery, attracting students, researchers, and professionals from around the world who are passionate about transforming healthcare through science and technology (and skiing 😉).
Elske Ammenwerth, PhD, is Professor of Medical Informatics at UMIT TIROL. She heads the Institute of Medical Informatics and works in the fields of eHealth, nursing informatics, and the evaluation of digital health technologies. Her work focuses in particular on the evidence-based development and assessment of IT systems in healthcare. She is also active in teaching, with a special interest in online-based university education. In her free time, she practices Taekwondo.
Daniela Deufert, PhD, is an associate professor at the Department of Nursing Science and Gerontology at UMIT TIROL. She is head of the Division for Nursing and Health Education at the Institute for Nursing Science and course coordinator of the bachelor’s programme in Nursing Science. Before her academic career, she worked for many years as a nurse in a hospital. In her free time, she loves sports and activities with her dog “Bertl” 😀.
Michelle Bindel, MSc, is a doctoral student at UMIT TIROL, researching the impact of patient portals on their users and exploring the role of program theory in evaluation research within medical informatics. Her work involves the use of methods such as logic models and theory of change to assess and improve digital health interventions. In the D-CREDO project, she manages the blog and LinkedIn account, while also contributing to various working groups, bringing expertise as a computer scientist specializing in health IT. Beyond research, she enjoys cross-country skiing and exploring fantasy and sci-fi literature.
Sarah van der Hoek, is a medical informatics student from the University of Amsterdam. She is currently doing her internship at UMIT TIROL as part of her bachelor thesis. For the D-CREDO project, she is working on identifying high-quality, freely available AI tools that support clinical reasoning and decision making. She is developing a checklist based on existing evaluation frameworks to assess validity, reliability, privacy, and ethics of digital health tools for integration into virtual patient cases in the CASUS system. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, being creative, and figure skating.
If you want to learn more about UMIT TIROL, visit our website.
Stay connected with D-CREDO and follow our journey on LinkedIn for more updates, insights, and stories. Don’t forget to connect with our team members (linked above) to follow their individual projects and contributions to the project!