PhD Defence Vasco Ribeiro Ferreira 'The NeuroEpiTool'
We are pleased to announce that Vasco Ribeiro Ferreira will defend his PhD thesis on 20 November 2025 in the Auditorium of Campus Fryslân, Wirdumerdijk 34, 8911 CE Leeuwarden.
It is possible to follow the defence online via the livestream.
Programme
13:00 - Walk-in
13:30 - Layperson’s talk
14:00 - PhD defence
15:30 - Reception with coffee and tea
About the thesis
In his thesis, "The NeuroEpiTool – a Digital Tool To Ascertain Neurological Outcomes in Population-Based Studies", Vasco researches how to make brain health research more accessible around the world. Neurological diseases like stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s are becoming more common, but studying them usually requires doctors, expensive equipment, and clinic visits—making large-scale research difficult, especially in low-resource areas.
To address this, Vasco developed the NeuroEpiTool, a web-based app that lets non-specialist health workers, such as nurses or psychologists, perform simple digital tests to detect early signs of neurological problems. The tool can also help researchers explore how factors like pesticide exposure affect the brain.
The project began with a review of nearly 100 existing digital tools for testing brain function, many of which had limits in language, access, or research focus. Using these insights, the NeuroEpiTool was co-designed with neurologists, researchers, and patients and includes ten easy, comfortable tests—such as walking in a straight line or checking hand coordination.
Trials in Italy and Benin showed that non-specialists achieved results similar to neurologists, and users found the app easy to use. Overall, Vasco’s research shows that the NeuroEpiTool can make neurological studies more inclusive and improve global understanding of brain health risks.
You can read Vasco's entire thesis here.
About Vasco Ribeiro Ferreira
Vasco Ribeiro Ferreira is a researcher in psychology and neuroscience with a focus on clinical neuropsychology. Working at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, he brings expertise in electroencephalography (EEG), neurological diseases, and eHealth technologies. His work aims to make neurological assessment and research more accessible—particularly through digital tools that enable non-specialist health professionals to detect early signs of brain disorders and explore environmental risk factors.
With a foundation in both clinical and digital approaches, Vasco is helping bridge the gap between specialist neuroscience and broad-scale public health research.