Theo Hooghiemstra

Theo is founder and managing director of Hooghiemstra & Partners. He is an authoritative expert in the field of data protection. He passionately advises on issues of informational self-determination in healthcare. He has a natural feel for administrative dynamics and therefore a clear view on matters. Theo has vision and inspires confidence. With a great sense of context, he brings calm or acceleration where needed. Theo also has an extensive administrative, academic and social network. He finds it important to share his vision and knowledge, for instance at the request of the media, such as at Nieuwsuur on the Vaccination Policy. Or at training courses or conferences.

At Hooghiemstra & Partners, Theo focuses on data, appointment systems and innovation in healthcare. He is an advisor to MedMij Foundation, for trusted personal health environments. Theo was independent chairman of the expert panel ‘Participation, ownership and personal data’ and of the NEN groups ‘secure mail in healthcare’ and ‘secure mail in the judiciary’. For the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, he wrote a strategic vision for an integrated eID system. Currently, Theo chairs NEN's Permission Working Group, as part of the generic functions associated with the Electronic Data Protection in Healthcare Act (Wegiz). He was a member of the VWS Expert Team on behalf of GGD GHOR and the GGDs. In that capacity, he provided strategic and legal advice on data handling and governance during the Covid pandemic and for future situations. He is also a member of the Expert Committee on Electronic Access Services Supervision.

Theo received his PhD from Tilburg University in 2018 on informational self-determination in healthcare. He conducted this research alongside his work as MT member at consultancy firm PBLQ. Before that he was, among other things, director of the Council for Public Health & Society. He also worked at the National ICT Institute in Healthcare (Nictiz) and the Personal Data Authority. Theo is one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the eRecognition agreement system.

Theo studied public administration at Twente University of Technology and law at VU University Amsterdam. He is a member of the editorial board of Jurisprudentie Bescherming Persoonsgegevens (JBP), co-author of SDU Commentaar AVG and member of the Editorial Board of ICT&health.

Publications
Rule complexity: an exploration using two case studies (Dutch)
Report: AI act in relation to MDR and IVDR
Doctor Big Tech (Dutch)
Ownership and control in healthcare (Dutch)
Speech at Expert meeting ‘Data sharing in healthcare’ (Senate) (Dutch)
Report: Strategic vision Plan of Approach Integrated eID System (Dutch)
Report: Solution directions for reliable and user-friendly login in hybrid healthcare (Dutch)