Specialist in internal medicine, diabetology and endocrinology at the Spaarne Hospital, Heemstede, The Netherlands. He retired from his practice in January 2002.
- He was trained in the USA (Madison, Wisconsin), the Dutch Antilles and the State University Groningen in The Netherlands, where he received his PhD in endocrinology.
- He founded in 1987 the first specialized Diabetic Foot Clinic in the Netherlands.
- He was until his retirement chairing the Dutch Diabetes Education Study Group for more than 10 years.
- He was the chairman of the Dutch Consensus Group on the Diabetic Foot.
- He was chairman of the very successful International Symposiums on the Diabetic Foot in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007.
- He is chairman of the IDF Consultative Section and International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF).
- He has written articles and chapters on diabetic foot care, on how to improve education and implementation of Guidelines.
- He is a tireless lecturer on the subject and has visited all continents to create more awareness of the problem of the “Diabetic Foot”.
- The IWGDF has launched in 1999 the International Consensus and Practical Guidelines on the management and prevention of the diabetic foot and supplements in 2003. Till now the consensus document has been translated in 26 languages. In 2007 a fully updated Consensus and Guideline document has appeared on a DVD-ROM, partly evidence based.
- He chaired and was responsible for the very successful World Diabetes Day (WDD) 2005 on Diabetic Foot Care and the “Year of the Diabetic Foot” campaign. An initiative of the IDF, supported by the WHO.
- He is, on behalf of the IWGDF and IDF Consultative Section on the Diabetic Foot, an active promoter of improving diabetic foot care in developing countries. He initiated and introduced throughout the world the Step by Step program, which was very successfully executed in countries like India, Tanzania and Pakistan and underway in several other countries or regions like Egypt, Congo and the Caribbean Region (with support of Rotary)
- Together with colleagues he has introduced in 2008 the Diabetic Foot Care Assistant program for developing countries.
- He is actively involved in the UN Resolution Implementation Program 2007-2009.
- In December 2001 the Queen of the Netherlands has invested him with the title of Knight of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands in recognition of his lifelong commitment to diabetes and to diabetic foot care in particular.
- In November 2003, at the Second Southern Californian Symposium “The High-Risk Diabetic Foot in the New Millennium” he was the first recipient of the Edward James Olmos Award for “Advocacy in Diabetic Foot Amputation Prevention”. He is the recipient of other awards.
In May 28th 2008 the New York College of Podiatric Medicine has awarded him a honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa. He gave the Keynote lecture at the Commencement.
In February 2009 he was invested with the Honorary Membership of the Rotary Club of Ledbury, UK, to honor his contributions of setting up the joined IDF/Rotary Caribbean Diabetic Foot Care “Step by Step” programme.
Heemstede, the Netherlands 2009
