Committee

Peter E.J. Bols obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1989 and his PhD in 1997 at the University of Ghent. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, USA) and subsequent roles in the pharmaceutical industry and governmental institutions, he returned to the University of Antwerp in 2001 as Assistant Professor of Veterinary Physiology. He was promoted to Full Professor in 2020 and became Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences in 2024.

He has served as Secretary General of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine and chaired several European Research Council selection panels. His research focuses on assisted reproductive technologies and fertility preservation. Since 2011, he has collected antiquarian books on French veterinary education (1720–1820) and trained in veterinary historiography under Prof. P. Koolmees (University of Utrecht). He is an active member of the Dutch Veterinary Historical Society and was awarded the George Sarton Medal in 2019. In 2020, he authored a chapter on Vesalius’s influence on early veterinary authors (Ed. R. Van Hee).

Joachim De Block holds a BA in Occupational Therapy and an MA in Sculpture. For the past decade, he has taught anatomy and anatomical drawing at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he employs drawing as a fundamental tool for developing anatomical understanding.

Alongside his teaching, he maintains an independent art practice that has evolved into a multidisciplinary approach encompassing sculpture, drawing, collage, and sound installation. His artistic perspective is grounded in the belief that art can function as an intuitive field, where strategy and fixed meanings are deliberately set aside.

The act of assembling plays both a central and connective role across the various disciplines in his work. In recent years, his studio research has focused on the reuse of waste materials, exploring their potential as a basis for new sculptural substances. This investigation is closely linked to the development of a “raw material bank,” composed of found objects and construction debris, which serves as a dynamic resource for modelling and sculptural experimentation.

Marc De Roeck studied medicine at the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven, graduating in 1974. He worked as a general practitioner in Berchem (Antwerp) from 1976 to 2020, covering general medicine, surgery, and obstetrics.

He has played a leading role in medical education, holding a mandate at the University of Antwerp (1999–2009) and coordinating postgraduate training for GPs in Flanders (1982–2014). He was President of the local GP organisation and the Medical Yachting Club, and an active member of the Flemish GPs’ Parliament.

Since 2010, he has co-organised the Vesalius Continuum Triennial and the Vesal Cup youth sports events in Zakynthos, supporting research on the grave of Andreas Vesalius.

He brings together clinical expertise, educational leadership, and a deep commitment to the historical and cultural heritage of medicine.

Pascale Pollier is a medical artist, sculptor, and curator working at the intersection of art, science, and emerging technologies. With a background in fine art and postgraduate specialization in medical art at the Medical Artists’ Association of Great Britain (MAA), her practice combines scientific accuracy with creative interpretation across both traditional and digital media.

She has held leading roles as Chair of the MAA and President of the Association Européenne des Illustrateurs Médicaux et Scientifiques (AEIMS), and is co-founder of BIOMAB’s international programme ARSIC (Art Researches Science International Collaborations). Her work spans medical education, interdisciplinary research, exhibitions, and international public engagement.

She co-organised the Vesalius Continuum Conference (2014) and its subsequent triennial editions, and created the Vesalius commemorative bronze monument on Zakynthos. She is actively involved in research to locate the grave of Andreas Vesalius and serves as Assistant Editor of Vesalius, the Journal of the International Society for the History of Medicine.

Guido Sold studied medicine at Heidelberg University—where he was influenced by Heinrich Schipperges—and at University of Sheffield, after classical schooling in Speyer. After earning a doctorate in biochemistry, he worked clinically in Kempten and Brunssum.

From 1976 he worked at University of Göttingen in noninvasive cardiology, publishing a textbook on echocardiography. From 1992 to 2014 he was head cardiologist at Evangelisches Krankenhaus Wesel. He founded Convivium musicale, Wesel and co-founded the Forum Vesalius/Wytinck, dedicated to Andreas Vesalius.

Ann Van de Velde is a physician at Antwerp University Hospital and a researcher affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Antwerp. She is President of the Association Européenne des Illustrateurs Médicaux et Scientifiques (AEIMS) and a founding member of BIOMAB.

Her academic work focuses on the history of medicine and the intersection of medicine, art, and culture. She engages in interdisciplinary projects that bring together physicians, historians, and artists to explore the historical development of medical knowledge, anatomical teaching, and clinical practice. She co-organised the Vesalius Continuum Conference (2014) and its subsequent triennial editions. She is actively engaged in research to locate the grave of Andreas Vesalius and serves as Assistant Editor of Vesalius, the Journal of the International Society for the History of Medicine.

Francis Van Glabbeek is Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Antwerp and an orthopedic surgeon at Antwerp University Hospital, where he serves as Vice-Chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology. He teaches musculoskeletal anatomy and contributes to courses on the history of medicine.

A collector of medical antiquarian books, he owns more than one thousand works, including publications by Andreas Vesalius and Govert Bidloo. His research focuses on lesser-known sixteenth-century healthcare practitioners. Recent publications include Myology before Vesalius: Giovanni Battista Canani (1515–1579) (2022) and Jodocus Lommius and Anna van Egmond (2025).

Robrecht (“Bob”) Van Hee (b. 1943) studied medicine at Ghent University. He subsequently trained as a surgeon in Breda and Nijmegen, where he obtained his doctoral degree in medicine. As Professor of Surgery and Medical History at the University of Antwerp, his clinical work focused primarily on transplantation and endocrine surgery. Alongside his surgical career, he devoted significant effort to medical-historical research, with particular emphasis on the Low Countries and the sixteenth century.

In 2004, he presented the figure of Andreas Vesalius during the national television program “The Greatest Belgian.” Van Hee is the author of more than 450 publications and has served as editor for several scientific journals. His contributions have been recognized with numerous national and international awards. Since 2008, he has held emeritus status.