The 2024-2025 BAST Board
My name is Estelle and I’m currently in my 4th year of surgical training with special interest for Thoracic and Vascular Surgery. I’m from UCLouvain – Brussel. I joined the BAST Executive Board two years ago and was pleased to see my network expending through surgical trainings, workshops and meetings gathering Surgeons and Trainees from all around the country. I’m convinced that sharing experience and continuous training via numerous scientific courses lead us to be more human and ambitious surgeons.
I’m Cédric, a 4th year surgical trainee at KULeuven and currently doing a PhD in Rectal Cancer at the Abdominal Surgery Department of UZ Leuven. As BAST board member, I would like to invest in organizing courses and networking events for junior trainees to get them familiarized easier within certain fields of surgery. This year, I’ll be Vice-President and course director as well. During my free time I enjoy executing triatlon!
Hi, I’m Laurence Verstraeten and I’m in my 4th year of surgical training at the Catholic University of Leuven. I have a special interest in Abdominal and Transplant Surgery and I’m currently doing a PhD in Abdominal Transplant Surgery at the University Hospitals of Leuven. As a member of the BAST board I like helping to create a platform for surgical trainees to provide them all the information they need throughout their training and to encourage them in enhancing their surgical skills with hands-on courses and theoretical sessions.
My name is Emma, I’m 28 years old and I’m a 5th year surgical trainee from KULeuven working at AZ Imelda in Bonheiden. I’m interested in vascular surgery. As the treasurer I will take care of the finances of the BAST. Our goal is to organize interesting high-quality courses without any cost for all Belgian surgical trainees. Keep an eye on our calendar on the website or our Instagram page for updates!
Hi, my name is Gilles, surgical trainee started in 2019, currently finishing a PhD in Vascular Surgery about a Black Box in the hybrid operating room at UZ Gent. My PhD has a big simulation based education chapter so I’ll try to introduce some of these elements in the BAST to learn as efficient as possible! Furthermore, I’m the BAST secretary. I will continue my training in Rotterdam in 2024. Personally, you can find me cycling, training for a running event or enjoying a drink at the bar.
My name is Silke, I am a 2nd year surgical trainee from the University of Antwerp who is currently working in ZNA Jan Palfijn in Merksem. My special interest goes out to abdominal surgery. This year I joined the BAST as newest board member and I will take care of the PR. I am very enthusiastic to be joining such an inspiring organization who wants to offer a valuable addition to surgical training in Belgium by organizing theoretical and hands-on courses for every year trainee in every field of surgery. Make sure to follow us to stay updated on the latest events in your field of interest.
Hi everyone, my name is Barbara and I’m currently working at the department of abdominal surgery in UZ Leuven as a last-year trainee from the KULeuven. As I am keen to help organizing lots of surgical courses and events to improve our surgical training, I am very happy to be part of our enthusiastic board for more than 4 years. For 2 years I am also an active member of the Robotic Surgery Working Group (RSWG) of the RBSS and helped developing the first robotic surgery training pathway for Belgian surgical trainees. My special interest goes to colorectal surgery. I love to travel and explore new places, and I can’t deny that family, friends & good food make me happy!
I am Sébastien D’ulisse, a passionate 4th-year general surgery student in Belgium. I have a keen interest in digestive and vascular surgery, and I am enthusiastic about adopting new surgical technologies. I would like to contribute to the improvement of surgical education in Belgium by assisting in offering captivating and informative courses.