Ronald R.m. Van Dam MD, PhD

Dr. Ronald van Dam has been working as a surgeon-oncologist and teacher at Maastricht UMC+ since 2006. He specializes in tumors of the intestine, liver, bile ducts and pancreas and metastases to the liver. In addition, Dr. Van Dam and his team have developed the ERAS recovery program for liver and pancreatic surgery and it is now being implemented worldwide.

Dr. Ronald van Dam has also guided several Dutch surgeons in the first steps in laparoscopic liver surgery and is principal investigator of the ORANGE II Plus study that compares the results of open and laparoscopic liver surgery in ten European university hospitals. As a member of the 'World Expert Panel' for laparoscopic liver surgery, chairman of the Working Group Minimally Invasive Surgery at Maastricht UMC+ and treasurer of the Dutch Association for Gastro-Intestinal Surgery (NVGIC), he contributes to innovation in his field.

Dr. Van Dam attaches great importance to tailor-made cancer treatment. Through shared decision making, specialists and patients jointly determine the limits and extent of the treatment. With contemporary imaging and molecular analysis techniques, an operation that is considered impossible can still be performed or a very stressful treatment can be used or prevented in a targeted manner. dr. Van Dam believes in the power of cleverly combining multiple treatment strategies and in maximum effect with the highest possible quality of life with or without surgery.

Ronald is also convinced of the power of groundbreaking and cross-border cooperation. That is why there is cooperation with the university clinics of Aachen and Leuven, among others, the hospitals in the southeastern region of the Netherlands, and a number of large cancer centers in the United States. New treatment options can only be introduced more quickly through collaboration, scientific research and international thinking.