Jan B. Vermorken

Emeritus Professor of Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium

Jan B. Vermorken graduated in 1970 from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands and undertook his internal medicine training at the University Hospital, Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, becoming a board-certified specialist in internal medicine in 1975. He has since worked in the field of medical oncology, initially at the Department of Internal Medicine, later at the Department of Medical Oncology of the same institute, and was officially registered as a Medical Oncologist in the Netherlands in 1992. He received his PhD in Medical Sciences in 1986 from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. From May 1997 until October 1, 2009, he was Professor of Oncology at the University of Antwerp (UA), and head of the Department of Medical Oncology at the University Hospital Antwerp (UZA), in Edegem, Belgium. After his retirement he remains connected to both University (emeritus Professor) and University Hospital.

His main fields of interest are gynecologic oncology, and head and neck oncology. In addition, he co-ordinated large trials in breast and colon cancer. His main research areas concern early clinical and pharmacological studies with new drugs, studies on the interaction of chemotherapy and radiation therapy and HPV in various malignancies. He devotes a significant amount of time to teaching, professional training, and continuing medical education.

Professor Vermorken is member of the European Society of Gynecology (ESGO) and was ESGO council member from 1989-2000. He is member of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Gynecological Cancer Group since 1980 and served as chairman of that group from 1983 to 1989. Since 1985 he has been a member of the EORTC Head and Neck Cancer Group, served as chairman of its Subcommittee for Chemotherapy (1985-1991), was secretary of the group from 1995 to 2006 and chaired the group from 2006 to 2009. His function within ESMO for years has been one of an officer, in that he chaired the National Representatives Committee from 1991 to 1996 and the Educational Committee from 1996 to 2002. During that whole period he was member of the ESMO Executive Committee. He is considered to be a prominent member of the ESMO Faculty. He is a member of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society, was member of its Council from 1989 to 1993, and is founding member of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup, which he chaired from 1997 to 2002.

Professor Vermorken serves on the editorial board of six international journals, reviewer of 13 cancer journals and author or co-author of more than 500 publications. He is Editor-in-Chief of ONCO since 2007. As of January 1, 2009 he is Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Oncology, the official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology and the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology.