Mark de Ridder

Background

About Mark de Ridder

Prof. dr. Mark De Ridder is CEO of UZ Brussel, the university hospital of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Our hospital offers high-quality medical services in a Dutch-speaking university hospital open to all, with respect for everyone's right to self-determination. Prof. dr. Mark De Ridder graduated as a doctor from the VUB in 1998 and specialized in Radiotherapy and oncology. He started in 2005 as a resident in the Radiotherapy department at UZ Brussel and became the head of its multidisciplinary team in 2010, leading a group of medical doctors, nurses, medical physicists and engineers. Under his leadership, the department introduced several innovative technologies, such as the Linac-MRI, which allows for more efficient radiation treatment for prostate and rectal cancer. Additionally, he was the coordinator of the Oncology Care Program at UZ Brussel and responsible for Palliative Care at UZ Brussel and CHU Brugmann. Prof. Dr. De Ridder is also active as a LEIF physician (Life-End Information Forum). Prof. dr. De Ridder has been teaching at the VUB Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy since 2010, where he has been a full professor since 2023. In September 2024, he joined the new executive team as Vice Dean responsible for UMC affairs and student affairs. In terms of research, Prof. dr. De Ridder is active in fundamental, translational, and clinical research. This has resulted in offering innovative radiation protocols, such as personalized treatments for rectal and breast cancer, and shortened radiation therapy regimens for prostate and lung cancer patients. Currently, his team is the first in Belgium to roll out FLASH radiation therapy for skin cancer, thanks to funding from the Heavy Research Infrastructure program of FWO-Flanders.