Amsterdam 2026

Keynote speakers
Our distinguished Keynote Speakers and the Welburn Lecture speaker will share their expertise during the conference. 

Full details and the final program will be available on the website very soon, but please see the current provisional program details here.

Speakers

Jan Deprest

Professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UZ Leuven/London

Title presentation:
Surgical repair of spina bifida before birth today and tomorrow

Jan Deprest MD PhD FRCOG is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at KU Leuven (Belgium) and UCL (UK). His research focuses on fetal surgery, particularly antenatal interventions that modulate fetal development in severe congenital anomalies. He leads translational research on conditions suitable for fetoscopic management and founded the Eurofoetus consortium, which developed widely used fetoscopic instruments with European Commission support. The consortium completed two randomized trials in fetal surgery. He has published over 800 peer-reviewed papers, supervised more than 50 PhDs, and received major international honors, including awards from leading societies and election to the US National Academy of Medicine.

Andrea Rossi

Neuroradiology Division Head and Chair, Imaging Department
IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
Professor of Neuroradiology
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Italy

Title presentation:
Revisiting Spinal Dysraphisms: Classification, Controversies, and Clinical Impact

Prof. Andrea Rossi is Neuroradiology Division Chief at the Giannina Gaslini Institute of Genoa, Italy, and Professor of Neuroradiology at the University of Genoa. He is the President of the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) and a Past-President of the Italian Association of Neuroradiology (AINR). He was awarded the Spinoza Lectureship from the Amsterdam University Medical Center in 2022 and the Gold Medal of the American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology in 2023. He is the President of the 2nd European Pediatric Neuroradiology Congress to take place in Genoa, Italy on October 28-31, 2026.

Ahmad Elderwy

Professor of Pediatric Urology, Assiut University, Egypt

Title presentation:
The dilemma of Spina Bifida in Egypt

• Current position: Professor of Pediatric Urology; Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt.
• Pediatric Urology Fellowship (2004-2005); Cairo University Pediatric Hospital “Abo El-Reish”, Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt.
• Pediatric Urology Fellowship (2005-2007); Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
• Senior Registrar of Pediatric urology (2009-2010); King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Consultant of pediatric urology (2009-Now); Assiut University Urology Hospital (AUUH), Assiut University Hospitals, Assiut University, Egypt.
• Secretary of Pediateric urology sector, Egyptian urological association
• Author of more than 30 original international articles and book chapters in Pediatric urology

Katrien Jansen

Pediatric neurologist. UZ Leuven

Title presentation:
Long-term outcome before and after fetal surgery in spina bifida.

Katrien Jansen is a pediatric neurologist and rehabilitation physician in the University Hospitals Leuven, specialized in fetal and neonatal neurology, epilepsy, spinal dysraphism and neuro-inflammation.  She is also an associate professor at the Department of Development and Regeneration of the KULeuven. She obtained a doctoral degree in Biomedical Sciences at the KU Leuven in 2013, with a thesis entitled ‘Multimodal monitoring of electrophysiological signals in childhood epilepsy and neonatal encephalopathy’.  During and following this PhD, she started a neuromonitoring unit including EEG on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Luca Mazzone

PD Dr. med. Luca Mazzone, FMH Pediatric Surgery, FEAPU

Title presentation:
Outcomes of 5-year old patients after open prenatal spina bifida aperta repair in Zurich

Luca Mazzone is a board-certified pediatric surgeon and a Fellow of the European Academy of Paediatric Urology. He holds a Venia legendi (Habilitation) for Pediatric Surgery at the University of Zurich.

Currently, he is employed at the University Children’s Hospital of Zurich as an attending pediatric surgeon, fetal surgeon, and pediatric urologist. He holds the positions of Deputy Head of the Department for Fetal Surgery and Deputy Head of the Department for Pediatric Urology. Furthermore, he serves as the Co-Director of the Zurich Center for Spina Bifida.

Agnita Stadhouder

Title presentation:
Operative and conservative challenges in spinal deformities in spina bifida patients

Agnita Stadhouder is an orthopedic spine surgeon with a focus on spinal deformity treatment and she works in an academic tertiary referral center. She treats a mix of neuromuscular (CP, Duchene, SMA), congenital, and idiopathic scoliosis patients. In the Amsterdam UMC there is a team of 2 deformity surgeons and a spine fellow with a growing practice because of increasing number of patient referrals from other hospitals in the region and in the country. They also perform spinal metastasis surgery, traumatic thoracolumbar fractures and adult deformity corrections. Research focuses on idiopathic and neuromuscular scoliosis including less invasive scoliosis surgery and growing systems.

Stefan Roosendaal

Neuroradiologist MD PhD EDiNR EDiPNR

Title presentation:
Imaging of hydrocephalus

Stefan Roosendaal is a pediatric and adult neuroradiologist. He is trained in the VUMC, did a fellowship in Erasmus MC Rotterdam and an observership in the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.

Eefje Muselaers MSc

Kinderfysiotherapeut, Inspanningsfysioloog

Title presentation:
Enhancing participation in regular sport clubs for children with a physical disability – a qualitive study
(presentation with Eveline Boeker)

Eefje is a pediatric physical therapist and exercise physiologist at the Emma Children’s Hospital and the department of Rehabilitation Medicine (Amsterdam UMC), and her PhD focuses on sports and physical activity for children with physical disabilities.

Mariam Slot MD PhD

Neurosurgeon, Head dept. of Neurosurgery Amsterdam UMC

Title presentation:
Management of Hydrocephalus: Ventriculoperitoneal Shunting versus Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy

Mariam Slot treats patients with spinal cord disorders, brain tumors, and peripheral nerve disorders. About a quarter of her patients are children. One of her specialties is the treatment of spasticity in the legs of children via selective dorsal rhizotomy, which improves their mobility and quality of life.

Her research focuses on meningioma surgery and chronic subdural hematoma, among other things.

Chagajeg Soloukey

MD, MA (Philosophy), Research Msc (Neuroscience), PhD Candidate (Neurosurgery)
Department of Neurosurgery, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam

Title presentation:
Professional Proximity in Myelomeningocele Counseling

Chagajeg Soloukey is a physician and PhD candidate in the Department of Neurosurgery at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam. Her research spans medicine, neuroscience, and philosophy, with a focus on complex prenatal and postnatal decision-making in conditions such as Myelomeningocele. She integrates neurotechnology, clinical neuroscience, and ethical and phenomenological analysis to understand and improve medical decision-making through a clinical attitude coined by her and her interdisciplinary team, namely ‘Professional Proximity’.

Anneloes van Staa RN MD PhD

Title presentation:
Transition of care: what do we already know and what do we still need to know?

AnneLoes van Staa RN MD PhD trained as a nurse, medical doctor, and anthropologist. She works as professor Transitions in Care at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on young people’s lived experiences with chronic conditions and their transition to adult care. She has extensive experience in mixed methods and participatory research and has led several large quality improvement programs in transitional care. She (co-)authored over 95 peer-reviewed papers. In 2019, she was awarded the first Dutch Delta Award, a national prize of €500.000 for her excellence in combining applied research, practice improvement, and professional education.

Marieke Hijma-van der Togt

Child occupational therapist

Title presentation:
(presentation together with Agnita Stadhouder)
Operative and conservative challenges in spinal deformities in spina bifida patients

Marieke is an child occupational therapist who works in the Amsterdam UMC partly in the Emma children’s hospital and on the rehabilitation department. In the children’s hospital she guides together with her colleges e.a. children after an scoliose operation.

Dr. Bernadette de Bakker, MD PhD

Assistant Professor in Human Embryology & Fetal Imaging

Title presentation:
High-resolution imaging of neural tube development: new insights into early morphogenesis

Dr. Bernadette de Bakker is an award-winning physician and Principal Investigator at Amsterdam UMC, specializing in embryology, fetal anatomy, and advanced 3D imaging technologies. She serves as Director of the Dutch Fetal Biobank, the 3D Medical Imaging Lab, and the Reproduction and Development Lab, where she leads interdisciplinary research at the interface of developmental biology, imaging innovation, and clinical application.
Her work focuses on visualizing and understanding human development using high-resolution imaging techniques such as Micro-CT and synchrotron imaging, contributing to improved insights into congenital anomalies, education, and clinical practice. More information about her research can be found at 3Dhumandevelopment.com

E.B. Boeker, MD, PhD

Rehabilitation physician

Presentation titles:

1. 1. Evaluation of Multilevel Orthopedic Management in Spina Bifida
   2. Enhancing Participation in Regular Sports Clubs for Children with a Physical Disability – A Qualitative Study

E.B. Boeker, MD, PhD, is a pediatric rehabilitation physician at Amsterdam UMC. Her clinical work focuses on spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and the treatment of gait disorders and movement impairments in children. She has a particular interest in promoting participation in sports and physical activity for children with disabilities. Dr. Boeker is a member of the spina bifida expertise team at Amsterdam UMC and serves as a university lecturer and coordinator of the minor The Moving Body at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Jochem Spoor MD PhD LLM

Neurosurgeon, Lead Pediatric Neurosurgery ErasmusMC

Presentation title:
Lipomyelomeningocele and spinal lipoma: a surgical perspective

Jochem Spoor works as a pediatric neurosurgeon with a special focus on craniofacial patients and patients with spinal dysraphism. He is chair of the Erasmusmc Center of Expertise for Spinal Dysraphism and member of its Center for Fetal Therapy.

His research focuses on fetal surgery and on improving surgical accuracy and safety by the introduction of new techniques and modalities as well as the improvement and expansion of existing ones.
 

Mattijs Alsem

Pediatric rehabilitation physician

Presentation title:
Interprofessional care in spina bifida

Mattijs Alsem is a pediatric rehabilitation physician working at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital of the UMC Utrecht and a clinical scientist. His clinical work focusses on children with Spina Bifida and Neuromuscular Disorders. Research topics include family-inclusive care, interprofessional collaboration and parent and family support.

Carola McDonald MSc

Nurse practitioner paediatric neurology case manager Spina Bifida

Title Presentations:

1. 1. The patient’s voice : experience in transition N.Bakal and I.Bakal (Expert by experience )
   2. Discussion panel :“Bridging the gap” together with Kate Steele (CEO SHINE) , Dr O. de Wit ( Rehabilitation Physician, Expert by experience ), Corina Mos (Expert by experience) Sjoerd van den Berg ( Expert by experience )

Carola works at the paediatric outpatient clinic at the AMC location of Amsterdam UMC, where she serves as a nurse practitioner for children with spina bifida and other complex neurological and urological conditions. She is deeply committed to improving the quality of care and long-term outcomes for her patients and their families. She also serves as a Transition Coordinator, supporting young patients with complex congenital conditions as they move from paediatric to adult healthcare services.
Holding a Master of Science (MSc), Carola actively contributes to medical education and professional development.
In September 2024, Carola became the first-ever recipient of the prestigious international Dr. Richard Morgan Prize, awarded by the patient organization Shine. The award recognized her outstanding presentation skills and exceptional dedication to children living with spina bifida.

Dewi Bakker

Child Neurologist, Amsterdam University Medical Center

Title Presentation:
Tethered Spinal Cord: A Challenging Diagnosis

Dr. Dewi Bakker is Head of the Dutch National Center of Expertise for Spina Bifida and Spinal Cord Disorders at Amsterdam University Medical Centers since 2014. He trained as a pediatric neurologist, with a background in neurology and molecular biology. In addition, he serves as residency educator in pediatric neurology. His clinical and research interests include spina bifida, spinal cord disorders, neuroinflammatory diseases, and pediatric stroke. He plays a leading role in the development of national guidelines and research initiatives in spina bifida care and is a board member of the European Paediatric Neurology Society.

Tanja de Kraker MSc

Nurse Practitioner Pediatric Urology – Emma Children’s Hospital/Amsterdam UMC

Title Presentation:
Therapy adherence in children with a neurogenic bladder

Tanja is a nurse practitioner working in the paediatric urology department at the Emma Children’s Hospital. She completed her Master Advanced Nursing Practice at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht, where she was part of the spina bifida team. Her master thesis focused on therapy adherence among children who practice intermittent catheterization.
At the Emma Children’s Hospital, she focuses on children with LUTS, bladder dysfunction, urodynamics and intermittent catheterization.