Prof. Dr. Raja Atreya, M.D., PhD
University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, DE
Raja Atreya is Professor of Translational Immunology in IBD and Head of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Unit and Clinical Study Centre at the University Hospital Erlangen in Germany. Professor Atreya received both his initial degree and his MD, for which he graduated summa cum laude, from the medical school of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany. He then went on to work as a physician at the University Medical Centre, and subsequently participated in the postgraduate program on antigen-specific immunotherapy. In 2010, he was appointed as Professor for IBD at the University Hospital Erlangen, and was appointed to his current post in 2016.
Professor Atreya’s research work focuses on the identification of response predictors (e.g., molecular endoscopy) and resistance mechanisms to biological therapies in IBD. He has received many awards in the course of his career including: the Theodor Frerichs Award from the German Society for Internal Medicine; the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for Young Researchers from the Paul Ehrlich Foundation; and the Rising Star Award from the United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEG). He has also published widely, with articles in peer-reviewed journals including Nature Medicine, The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Gut and Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. He is Associate Editor for the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis and member of the Editorial Advisory Board for The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Dr. Filip Baert, M.D.
AZ Delta campus Rumbeke Roeselare
Dr Filip Baert is currently Managing Director of IBDIM, former Head of UR-Care steering committee (United Registries of Clinical Assessment and Research) at ECCO and former Chief Scientific Officer for the Governing Board of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization (ECCO). Filip is on the Board of BIRD as president of BIRD (Belgian IBD research & development) Filip has over 25 years of experience in clinical research and is currently chairing the IBD Unit and Head of the Cluster Abdomen and head of the Clinical Trial Center at AZ Delta Hospital and Radar in Roeselare, Belgium, where he has developed special expertise in IBD, microscopic colitis as well as celiac disease.
Filip graduated in medicine, surgery and obstetrics from the University of Leuven in 1989. He then underwent specialization in internal medicine, gastrointestinal and liver diseases (1994), becoming a Fellow in Gastroenterology of the University of Chicago Hospitals. Next to his clinical practice he continued to be involved in translational research and acquired a PhD from the University of Leuven in 2014 on pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies.
He is director of the Fellowship training program in AZ Delta for the Universities of Ghent and Leuven.
He authored and co-authored > 150 peer reviewed publications and several chapters and serves as a reviewer for the key GI Journals, ECCO and UEGW. He is currently President of BIRD (Belgian IBD Research and Development). Among his ongoing important research projects are two European registries UR-Care (a pan European IBD electronic record/dBase) and of I-Care (Ibd CAncer and seRious infections in Europe) . Finally he serves on the editorial Board of the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis and is reviewer for many peer reviewed Journals.
Dr. Peter Bossuyt, M.D., PhD
Imeldaziekenhuis
Dr Bossuyt studied medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and graduated magna cum laude in 2004. He pursued his GI fellowship in Kortrijk, Roeselare, Bonheiden and Leuven. After completing his GI fellowship in 2009, he took up a fellowship in advanced endoscopy at the Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam. Between 2010 and 2015 he was a consulting staff member for endoscopic ultrasound at the University Hospitals of Leuven. He obtained a PhD entitled “Value of endoscopic scoring and imaging for the prognosis and follow up of IBD” at the University of Leuven in 2021. His research focuses on clinical trials in IBD and the definitions of endoscopic and imaging targets in IBD. He’s clinical works focuses on e-health tools in IBD and quality improvement projects.
He is currently international principal investigator of 4 clinical trials in IBD and endoscopy. He is an editorial board member of the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, president of the Belgian IBD Research and Development Group, past-board member of ECCO’s Clinical Research Committee, ClinCom and board member of the Belgian society of gastrointestinal endoscopy, BSGIE. He won the Belgian IBD research price in 2011 and 2021 and the ESGE Innovation of the year award in 2018. He published over 120 peer-reviewed articles in the NEJM, Lancet, Gastroenterology, Gut, Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, JCC among others (H-index 36).
Dr. Clara Caenepeel, M.D.
Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg campus Sint-Jan
Ms. Sophie Claeys, IBD Nurse
AZ Sint-Lucas Gent
Dr. Stefan Delen, M.D.
Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg campus Sint-Jan
Stefan Delen obtained his medical degree at the University of Leuven, Belgium in 1999. He subsequently graduated as gastroenterologist in 2005 at KU Leuven. From 2005 till now, he works at ZOL (ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg), primarily at ZOL Maas en Kempen where he is head of the gastroenterology department. Since 2010 he is a consultant at the IBD outpatient clinic of UZ Leuven.
He is former president of the medical council at Ziekenhuis Maas en Kempen (till the fusion with ZOL Genk) and now member of the unified medical council at ZOL. His interests include organisation of care and value-based care in IBD. Since november 2023 he is a doctoral student at KU Leuven working on the development of innovative strategies for delivering value-based care in IBD.
Prof. Dr. Geert D'Haens, M.D., PhD
Amsterdam UMC, NL
Prof. Dr. Erwin Dreesen, M.D., PhD
UZ Leuven Gasthuisberg
Dr. Erwin Dreesen is a full-time assistant professor and head of the Pharmacometrics Research Group in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences of KU Leuven, Belgium. He holds master's degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from KU Leuven with a thesis on the use of pharmacometrics models to improve therapeutic drug monitoring of monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. During his postdoctoral training, he focused on the application of pharmacometrics techniques for precision dosing of antimicrobial and biological drugs. His postdoctoral training was at the Pharmacometrics Research Group of Prof. Mats Karlsson at Uppsala University in Sweden, and the Integrative Pharmacology Laboratory of Prof. Rada Savic at the University of California, San Francisco.
His research group at KU Leuven has a specific focus on model-informed precision dosing of monoclonal antibodies, anti-infectives, and immunosuppressives in vulnerable patient populations. Erwin currently supervises nine Ph.D. students and coordinates a precision dosing trial of infliximab in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. At KU Leuven, Erwin teaches courses on applied pharmacometrics, clinical drug development, and model-informed drug development. He is a member of the Ethics Committee Research at the University Hospitals Leuven, works as an expert for the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency, and leads the Individualized Treatment Working Group of the ENOTTA COST Action.
Prof. Dr. Marc Ferrante, M.D., PhD
UZ Leuven Gasthuisberg
Ms. Amandine Gofflot, Kinésithérapeute
CHU de Liège site Sart-Tilman
As a dedicated physiotherapist, Ms. Gofflot specializes in rehabilitating patients afflicted with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), offering targeted interventions to enhance their quality of life. Her expertise lies in developing tailored rehabilitation programs that address the unique challenges faced by individuals with IBD. Beyond her clinical practice, she is deeply engaged in research, focusing on various aspects of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Her research endeavors aim to advance understanding of the underlying mechanisms, therapeutic interventions, and psychosocial impacts associated with IBD.
With a passion for multidisciplinary collaboration, Ms. Gofflot strives to integrate insights from diverse fields into comprehensive patient care plans. Through her work, she aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge surrounding IBD, fostering improved outcomes for patients worldwide. By bridging the gap between clinical practice and research, she aspires to make meaningful contributions to both patient care and scientific inquiry in the realm of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.
Prof. Dr. Nick Kennedy, M.D., PhD
Royal Devon University, UK
Dr. Dieter Mesotten, M.D., PhD
Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg campus Sint-Jan
Dr. Mesotten is the head of anaesthesiology department, director of the anaesthesia training programme and chairman of the Clinical Trial Unit at ZOL-Genk. As associate professor at UHasselt he lectures clinical trial design and Good Clinical Practice. He worked from 2008 to 2015 as a senior staff member in the Dept Intensive Care Medicine of the University Hospitals Leuven, while doing research as assistent professor at KU Leuven and senior clinical investigator of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). He obtained his PhD under supervision of Prof Greet Van den Berghe at the KU Leuven in 2003. After obtaining his Medical degree at the KU Leuven in 1999, he was a doctoral researcher at the Kolling Institute of Medical Research Kolling Institute of the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney from 1999 to 2002. He is a co-author of more than 100 publications.
Ms. Charlotte Minsart, Study Coordinator
Hôpital Erasme
Charlotte graduated in 2012 as Master Biomedical sciences at Université Libre de Bruxelles. After her master's thesis, she worked as a researcher at the Laboratory of Gastroenterology Experimental (LGE-ULB) and obtained her PhD thesis in February 2021. During her PhD, she had the chance to participate in research on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and in April 2017 she took the opportunity to join the IBD team of the Erasme Hospital as study coordinator/data manager. In this role, she coordinates all the pharmaceutical and academic clinical trials in which the site participates, takes care of the submissions to the ethics committee and continues to do some translational research. To improve her knowledge and daily work, she joined the BINASTORIA group in 2017 and is happy to join the BINASTORIA board on October 2023.
Dr. Annick Moens, M.D.
Heilig Hart Lier
Dr Annick Moens is a gastroenterologist at the IBD clinic in the general hospital, Heilig Hart, in Lier, Belgium. In addition, she is a part-time consultant at the IBD outpatient clinic at the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium. Dr Annick Moens graduated from medical school at KU Leuven in 2015 and completed her PhD in 2021. Her research focuses on longterm safety of biological therapies as well as their use during pregnancy and lactation. She is a member of the Young European Crohn's and Colitis organisation as well as the Belgian IBD research and development group.
Mr. Dries Reynders,
Ghent University
Prof. Dr. João Sabino, M.D., PhD
UZ Leuven Gasthuisberg
Ms. Noortje Straetemans, IBD Nurse
AZ Vesalius
Ms. Nicky Tellier,
Healthy Talent, NL
Dr. Marie Truyens, M.D.
UZ Gent
Prof. Dr. Gert Van Assche, M.D., PhD
UZ Leuven Gasthuisberg
Gert Van Assche obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and his medical degree from the University of Leuven, Belgium. He subsequently trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology in Leuven. From 1994 to 1998, Dr. Van Assche combined his GI fellowship with a doctoral program in the GI Hormones Lab in Leuven and the Intestinal Diseases Research Program at McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Since 2018 he is chief medical officer and member of the executive board at the University Hospitals Leuven, the largest university hospital in Belgium. Dr. Van Assche is overseeing the medical activities of more than 1,700 physicians and surgeons. The hospital has an alliance with over 25 Belgian hospitals and is an active member of the European University Hospital Alliance. Gert Van Assche serves also as member of the board of two large general hospitals in Belgium. Dr. Van Assche is professor of medicine in the Department of Chronic Diseases, Metabolism and Aging at the University of Leuven. His research focuses on novel therapies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and quality of care in IBD.
Dr. Van Assche is the former head of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University Hospitals Leuven, where he also served as clinical operational officer in the executive board. From 2012 until 2013 he was Director of Clinical and Translational IBD Research at Mt Sinai Hospital, Toronto, and Professor of Medicine at the U of Toronto, ON. He is the former chair of the guidelines and of the educational committee of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation, and has been an invited professor at the U of Michigan, Ann Arbor and the Cleveland Clinic, Lerner Institute. For his research, he received grants and awards from the Flemish Foundation for Scientific Research (FWO Vlaanderen), the Désiré Collen Research Foundation, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the Inbev-Baillet Latour Foundation. From 2003 to 2018 he held a senior clinical research position at the FWO Vlaanderen.
Prof. Dr. Lukas Van Oudenhove, M.D., PhD
KU Leuven
Lukas graduated as a Medical Doctor at KU Leuven in 2001. During his specialist training in psychiatry, he was granted a PhD-fellowship of the Research Foundation – Flanders, resulting in his doctoral thesis ‘Psychobiological mechanisms in functional dyspepsia. Converging evidence from psychophysiology & functional brain imaging?’ (KU Leuven, 2008). He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow of the Research Foundation – Flanders at the Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Diseases (TARGID) of KU Leuven from 2009 until 2012.
In 2012, he was appointed assistant research professor of the KU Leuven Special Research Fund, allowing him to establish his own group, the Laboratory for Brain-Gut Axis Studies (LaBGAS). His research has been internationally authoritative, as reflected by more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, numerous invited and abstract presentations at scientific meetings, and several international research awards. In 2020, Lukas got granted an ERC Consolidator Grant MoodBugs, focusing on microbiota-gut-brain signaling mechanisms mediating the impact of the gut microbiota on stress and fear responses in humans. In 2023, he got promoted to research professor.
Prof. Dr. Bram Verstockt, M.D., PhD
UZ Leuven Gasthuisberg
Ms. Marjan Willaert, Policy Advisor – Market Access
Pharma.be
Marjan Willaert is an Industrial Pharmacist who studied at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and the University of Lille (France).
She started her professional career in International & European Regulatory Affairs, first at Organon Teknika and later as a consultant.
In the course of her professional career she has developed a deep interest and understanding of European policy. Through personal contacts and involvement in the organisation of events (for national and European trade organisations) with the European Commission and the European Parliament, she has developed an in-depth knowledge of the EU’s decision-making mechanisms.
In 2016 she joined Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies as Senior Market Access Manager which allowed her to expand her Market Access experience. She moved to pharma.be where she is a member of the Commission for Reimbursement of Medicines.
As Policy Advisor she is leading the pharma.be’s Market Access Task Force. She is actively working as EFPIA member on market access pathways for combination therapies, new antibiotics, personalised medicines and their companion diagnostics, and the implementation of the EU HTA Regulation.