Center for
Global Health

International Scholar

Languages: Dutch(native), English(Advanced), French(Intermediate)

BIO STATEMENT

Jellis Bollens is a PhD researcher in Biomedical Engineering. His research focuses on computational methods, both physics-based and data-driven, to study arterial and aortic aging. In close collaboration with Dr. Chirinos, he combines expertise from both the Belgian (Ghent University and KU Leuven) and US research groups to investigate population-level variability in aortic morphology, aiming to improve understanding of risk factors for aortic pathologies and to assess how individual characteristics influence aortic geometry.

Recent Global Health Projects

Together with CGH Scholar Dr. Julio Chirinos, we investigate population-level variability in thoracic aortic geometry. This collaboration combines complementary expertise from the research groups (UGent, KU Leuven and UPenn): on statistical shape modeling, population-level knowledge and clinical translation. Using segmentations from a large cohort, computational methods are applied to identify determinants of aortic morphology. In particular, the effects of sex, age, body mass index, and other individual characteristics are studied. This work aims to improve understanding of how aortic geometry influences the risk of aortic pathologies and how these risks vary across the population.

Select Publications

Terlinden, L., Verachtert, A., & Bollens, J. (2025). AI in Healthcare: Identity Threat or Opportunity? Insights From Medical Specialists. Qualitative Health Research, 10497323251387568.

Bollens, J., Gheysen, L., Verkade, M., Stael, J., Martens, A., & Segers, P. (2025). Mechanical characterization of the equine linea alba and finite element modeling of suture patterns effects on its closure. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 107228. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751616125003443

Last Updated: 08 April 2026