Jornada: Avances en Oncología Radioterápica: personalización, ciencia y sociedad
Meeting: Advances in Radiation Oncology: Personalized medicine, science and society
Madrid, 14 de febrero de 2013
Madrid, February 14, 2013
CV
Philip Poortmans
I am born in 1961 in Herentals, Belgium, where I still live, together with my wife Marijke
and two daughters Renee and Michelle. The daily travel of about 55 km to Tilburg gives
me the opportunity to have some time for thinking, to listen to the radio and to learn
Spanish.
After completing my medical studies at the University of Antwerp, in 1986, I was trained as
a radiation oncologist at the Middelheim and Vincentius Hospitals in Antwerp under the
supervision of colleagues including Walter Van den Bogaert, Guy Langerock, Anne
Strubbe, Allan Van Oosterom, Daniëlle Van de Weyngaert and Pierre Scalliet. After a short
stay in Turnhout, Belgium, I started working as a radiation oncologist in Tilburg in 1991.
What I especially appreciate in the Dutch way of working in radiation oncology are the
good organisation encouraging the set-up of medium sized to large departments that can
be equipped with complete and up-to-date infrastructure. In combination with a very good
national collaboration (rather than competition), this facilitates greatly the participation in
activities at the international level like in clinical trial research. Other important and
attractive aspects are the truly multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of cancer
patients, the culture of excellent patient information and inform consent and, last but not
least, the support by highly trained and skilled collaborators including physicists, radiation
technologists, data managers and other specific professions.
With the increase of the number of radiation-oncologists in Tilburg from 6 to 12, we have
been able to really focus on specific topics of interest. Personally I am especially
interested in breast cancer, quality assurance in clinical trials, malignant lymphoma and
rare tumours. Most of my publications focus on these topics. I completed my Ph.D. thesis
on quality assurance in clinical trials in breast cancer in 2005 at the University of
Maastricht with Philippe Lambin and Walter Van den Bogaert as promoters.
Our department has a longstanding tradition of active membership in the EORTC,
especially in the Radiation Oncology Group but also directly and indirectly in other groups
through the input of medical oncologists, haematologists and other members of the
multidisciplinary team treating the cancer patients in our region. In the function of secretary
and Quality Assurance officer of the Radiation Oncology Group I had the opportunity to
participate in the writing of several protocols and to coordinate the quality assurance in a
number of radiotherapy studies. Since 2004, I am member of the Quality Assurance
Committee of the EORTC. For the Lymphoma Group, I co-ordinated a prospective phase II
trial in primary central nervous system lymphoma. I am an active member of the EORTC
Breast Group as well. Beside this, we often contribute in the framework of other
multicentre initiatives like a growing number of Dutch clinical trials and the projects of the
Rare Cancer Network.
In 2005, I was elected as councillor of the board of ESTRO for a term of 3 years. For 3
years, starting in 2007, I was the representative for radiation oncology in the
Multidisciplinary Oncology Committee of ESMO. Other activities include membership of
the editorial boards of Radiotherapy and Oncology, The Breast (specialty editor for
radiation oncology), Egyptian Journal of Oncology and Cancer Radiothérapie, membership
of scientific committees, international advisory boards and other active contributions to a
number of conferences, teaching courses and workshops or as reviewer for a number of
journals and trial organisations.
FUNDACIÓN RAMÓN ARECES
Jornada: Avances en Oncología Radioterápica: personalización, ciencia y sociedad
Meeting: Advances in Radiation Oncology: Personalized medicine, science and society
Madrid, 14 de febrero de 2013
Madrid, February 14, 2013
CV
For some years now, my involvement in teaching is becoming relatively more important.
Internationally, in the framework of the ESTRO School of Radiotherapy and Oncology, I
serve as course director of the annual teaching course “Multidisciplinary Management of
Breast Cancer”, as liaison person for all multidisciplinary course and as core member of
the Educational and Teaching Committee.
All this leads of course to the so-called “scientific output”, for which I refer to PubMed
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez). Apart from these articles, I wrote a number of
other papers and contributed actively to a few book chapters. In 2012, the book “Technical
Basis of Radiation Therapy. Practical Clinical Implications.”, that I co-edited together with
our famous colleagues Seymour H. Levitt, James A. Purdy and Carlos A. Perez, was
released by Springer.
Yes, there is life after radiation oncology! I especially like to share the good things of life
with my family, friends and colleagues. Often restricted by time limitations, I like to do
some sport like skiing and cycling. During the more quiet times of the day, I try to find
some time for the art of wine tasting.
FUNDACIÓN RAMÓN ARECES