Professor and Head of the Pathology department at Antwerp University Hospital / University of Antwerp (Belgium), with  focus on Head and Neck pathology.

She works intensively on improving surgical-pathological communication for better diagnosis, surgical results and patient outcome.  She furthermore coordinates close collaboration with other academic Head and Neck centers and affiliated non-academic institutes, to facilitate design and execution of large multi-center studies.

She focuses on histological, clinical and molecular aspects of pre-neoplasia and is conducting extensive study on histological diagnosis (and classification) of pre-neoplasia in head and neck region and potential role of biomarkers in aiding the diagnosis.

Her department of Pathology has an open door policy for developments in photonics and optical spectroscopies and  is a bridge between clinical practice and Photonics, to enable improved diagnosis and treatment.

Research is translational with focus on medical applications of Photonics, in particular applications of Raman spectroscopy-based tools in Head and Neck surgery (Raman-guided surgical resections facilitating safe surgical margins in oral cancer).

Professor C. René Leemans, MD, PhD is chair of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the Amsterdam University Medical Centres, VUmc, Amsterdam. He is Director of the Advanced Fellowship Program in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology at the VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam. His special interests include head and neck oncology, reconstructive and microvascular surgery, and basic research. Currently he champions the development and application of Transoral Robotic Surgery in The Netherlands and byond.

René Leemans has made a sustained and internationally recognised contribution to cancer care and research in the field of head and neck oncology over the past decades. His scientific standing has been recognised by election as President of the Netherlands Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the Dutch and European Head and Neck Societies. He also serves on the Leadership of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS).

He (co-)authored more than 500 papers and book chapters on head and neck oncology and is regularly invited to speak at international conferences and tutor at courses. He was a travelling faculty member of 2010 Global CME program “Current Concepts in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology” of the IFHNOS. In 2022 he was awarded the Eugene N. Myers, MD International Lecture on Head and Neck Cancer at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Meeting in Philadelphia. He leads the impactful Make Sense Awareness Campaign and was chair of the European Conference on Head and Neck Oncology held in Amsterdam in 2025.