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René
Leemans

ECHNO 2025 Chairman

Amsterdam, Holland

Professor C. René Leemans, MD, PhD is chair of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam since 2002. He is co-director of the VUmc Cancer Centre Amsterdam and Director of the Otolaryngology Residency Program and 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.
He is organizing the next EHNS congress.

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. He has published over 350 papers in high profile journals. His scientific standing has been recognised as President of the Netherlands Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the Dutch and. He is also one of the founder of the European Head and Neck Societies. He also serves on the council of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS).

He (co-)authored more than 340 papers and book chapters on head and neck oncology and is regularly invited to speak at international conferences and tutor at courses. In 2008 he delivered the First “Milton J. Dance Jr. key-note Lecture” during the 7th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer in San Francisco, CA, USA. He was a travelling faculty member of 2010 Global CME program “Current Concepts in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology” of the IFHNOS. He serves on the editorial board of nine peer-reviewed journals.