The Board of Governors of UZ Brussel has today, 17 February, appointed Prof. Dr. Mark De Ridder as the new CEO of UZ Brussel. Mark De Ridder has been Head of the Radiotherapy Department at UZ Brussel since 2010. As Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors and a member of the Medical Council, he has gained extensive experience in hospital governance. In addition, in 2024, he was appointed Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and through his research and teaching activities, he remains closely involved in UZ Brussel’s academic mission.
Jean-Luc Vanraes, Chair of the Board of Governors of UZ Brussel, stated: "With the appointment of Mark De Ridder, UZ Brussel is entering a new era. Mark is the right person to lead the hospital into the future during its thorough restructuring, for which he has a clear vision.."
Prof. Dr. Mark De Ridder commented: "Since 1991, I have studied and worked at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and UZ Brussel. Both professionally and personally, I have a deep connection with this institution—I met my wife here, and both of my children were born in this hospital. Over the past 25 years, my career in clinical practice, research, and education has been shaped within this hospital and the VUB Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. With this knowledge and hands-on experience, I now step into my role as CEO of UZ Brussel.
As a Dutch-speaking hospital in Brussels, guided by the secular and humanist values of VUB, we hold a unique position in the healthcare landscape—one I am committed to upholding and advocating for. Just as the 'U' in 'University' signifies, I fully embrace our threefold mission of clinical care, education, and research, which is more crucial than ever in these turbulent times for the healthcare sector."*
Although UZ Brussel is familiar territory for Mark De Ridder, he will take the coming months to settle into his new role alongside the hospital’s Executive Committee.
Who is Mark De Ridder?
Prof. Dr. Mark De Ridder graduated as a medical doctor from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in 1998, specialising in Radiotherapy-Oncology. He joined UZ Brussel’s Radiotherapy Department as a resident in 2005 and, in 2010, became head of this multidisciplinary team. Under his leadership, the department introduced several innovative technologies, including the Linac-MRI, which enables more precise radiotherapy for prostate and rectal cancer. In addition, he served as coordinator of UZ Brussel’s Oncology Care Programme and was responsible for Palliative Care at both UZ Brussel and CHU Brugmann. Prof. Dr. De Ridder is also active as a LEIF doctor (LevensEinde InformatieForum), providing guidance on end-of-life care.
Since 2010, Prof. De Ridder has been a lecturer at the VUB Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, where he was appointed full professor in 2023. In September 2024, he took on the role of Vice-Dean, responsible for the University Medical Centre and student affairs, as part of the faculty’s new leadership team.
In the field of research, Prof. De Ridder is involved in fundamental, translational, and clinical studies. His work has led to the development of innovative radiotherapy protocols, such as personalised treatments for rectal and breast cancer and shorter radiotherapy courses for patients with prostate and lung cancer. Currently, his team is pioneering FLASH radiotherapy for skin cancer—the first of its kind in Belgium—made possible through funding for Major Research Infrastructure from the FWO-Vlaanderen (Research Foundation – Flanders).
