Recap: Society for Ambulatory Assessment (SAA) Conference 2025 – Leuven, Belgium
From the 26th to 28th of May the city of Leuven brought together many scientists in ambulatory assessment for the 2025 SAA conference. Our Stress in Action (SiA) consortium was well represented, with over 30 members attending and sharing their research. The full list of SiA presenters can be found here.
The conference kicked off on Monday with many SiA sympsoia, paper sessions, posters and presentation. On Tuesday prof. dr. Ellen Hamaker opened the day with an inspiring keynote lecture, “Towards alignment of theory, measurement and analysis in process research.”
Over three days, the conference was packed symposia, a buzzing poster hall, and countless engaging conversations — mixing fun, curiosity, and deep scientific insight!
A highlight was the lively Tuesday poster session, where dr. Artemis Stefani, prof. dr. Matthijs Noordzij, and Magdalena Sikora showcased their work on the Stress in Action Wearable Validation Pipelines. Their poster presentation on Standardised Assessments across Laboratory, Virtual Reality, and Ambulatory Settings drew plenty of attention. Interesting discussions were held on questions like: What exactly are we measuring? Are these measurements truly valid? Which wearables are best suited for daily life research?
This is where the Stress in Action Wearables Database comes in, presented by Melisa Saygin and Myrte Schoenmakers. Their poster revealed an impressive collection of non-invasive wearable monitors, complete with systematic info on technical specs, reliability, validity, and usability. Their team in Research Theme 2 and VU Amsterdam are developing brand new shiny app to make this invaluable database accessible for researchers.
The dedication and hard work of our early and mid-career researchers stood out throughout the conference, drawing interest from various institutes and research groups. With continued progress like this, Stress in Action is becoming a trademark in the field of ambulatory assessment.
Interested in more? Listen to the Stress Navigation podcast with Matthijs Noordzij on wearables or Eco de Geus on ambulatory assessment!
