Blog - Inés Pérez-Sancristóbal
Bridging Borders, Connecting Minds
Behind every innovation is a team — or in this case, a European network. Through SPIDeRR, rheumatologists, data scientists, and bioinformaticians combine forces to turn patient stories into smarter diagnostics. Today: what happens when Spanish and Dutch collaboration becomes inspiration.
When Inés, a passionate rheumatologist from Spain, embarked on a six-month research stay in Leiden, she had no idea how transformative the experience would be. Her journey was part of the European funded SPIDeRR project. SPIDeRR strives to contribute to new digital diagnostic tools for earlier and better diagnosis of people with muscle and joint complaints. What started as a research contract soon evolved into a deeply personal and professional adventure.
Inés came to Leiden with a strong clinical background but limited experience in research and data science. Spain’s medical training system, while excellent in preparing clinicians, often lacks emphasis on scientific research. Fortunately, Inés secured a competitive research contract that allowed her to pursue a research project within SPIDeRR. Her supervisor, Luis Rodríguez-Rodríguez, connected her with Leiden’s renowned research group, led by Rachel Knevel and including Nils Steinz and Tjardo Maarseveen, experts in the intersection of data science and rheumatology.
How To Bridge Clinical Reality With Technical Innovation
The transition wasn’t easy. Inés found herself surrounded by data scientists and bio-informaticians, grappling with unfamiliar concepts and methodologies. But with determination and support from for instance Nils, she gradually adapted. In the words of Tjardo: ”A true rheumatologist at heart, Inés joined us to learn how to bring these technological innovations into the clinical reality — diving into our “bio-informatics” world to explore how AI could support better patient care.” Inés became a real team member, helping her to work closely together with Nils doing the analysis.
In turn, Inés helped the group translate data patterns into clinical meaning. Whenever Tjardo asked, “Does what I see in the data make sense?”, Inés would immediately respond with insights drawn from her extensive experience in the rheumatology clinic, asking “Will this help patients and rheumatologists in practice?”. It reminded Tjardo of the parable of the blind men and the elephant — each of us perceives only part of the whole. It takes all our perspectives combined to truly “see” the entire elephant, to understand the complex clinical reality of rheumatic diseases. One of the great strengths of the SPIDeRR consortium is how it brings these different perspectives together.
One of the highlights of her stay was the development of AI models that analyze free- text descriptions on an online platform where patients describe their symptoms in their own words. By examining over 9,000 free-text entries, the team trained simple AI models to identify different rheumatic diseases. These models showed promising results. For example, the fibromyalgia
model achieved a specificity of 92%, potentially reducing unnecessary referrals. The inflammatory disease model reached a sensitivity of 92%, ensuring that serious cases were rarely missed. Inés, in particular, brought not just the clinician’s view but also a strong emphasis on the patient’s perspective — how patients describe their symptoms, and how those early descriptions can already be predictive of disease progression.
Science and ‘Gezelligheid’
Beyond the research, Inés formed lasting friendships, especially with Nils (he was a welcome guest at her wedding) and felt truly integrated into the team. She was treated as an equal, with weekly one-on-one meetings and opportunities to contribute meaningfully. This sense of belonging empowered her to grow both professionally and personally.
The Leiden researchers felt her presence was a true enrichment — scientifically and personally. Beyond science, they shared many wonderful moments together, discovering that science could also be fun, full of laughter and “gezelligheid.” Inés even made the effort to learn some Dutch, while patiently trying to teach them Spanish. Unfortunately, Tjardo must still confess: No hablo español!
Now back in Spain, Inés continues to champion the use of patient provided information and technology by rheumatologists. She leads a pilot project using AI for patient prioritization, supported by a doctoral grant from the Spanish Society of Rheumatology, for rheumatologists and remains connected to SPIDeRR researchers. Her experience in Leiden has inspired her to build bridges between clinicians and data scientists, advocating the use of patients’ voices.
Tools That Make a Difference
Inés’s story is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration. It shows that when clinicians and data scientists work together, they can create tools that truly make a difference—tools that listen to patients, optimize care, and bring hope to healthcare systems facing increasing demands.
As Inés puts it, “This project is not an endpoint, but the beginning of a broader journey—one that connects research, clinical care, and patient voices across countries and disciplines. And I’m grateful for the path so far.”
The article that came out after the joint work: Inés Pérez-Sancristóbal, Nils Steinz, Ling Qin, Tjardo Maarseveen, Floor Zegers, Barbara Bislawska Axnäs, Luis Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Rachel Knevel, Let’s ask the patient: disease prediction based on patients’ symptom descriptions in free text, Rheumatology Advances in Practice, Volume 9, Issue 4, 2025, rkaf103, https://doi.org/10.1093/rap/rkaf103
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