Plastic and reconstructive surgery
Nard Janssen is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon specializing in the treatment of cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial conditions. Nard Janssen holds degrees in both dentistry and medicine, which provides him with a comprehensive foundation for the surgical treatment of craniofacial conditions. He earned his PhD from University Utrecht in 2018 about new treatment aspects in alveolar cleft repair. He is known for his expertise in orthognathic surgery and jaw reconstruction, with a strong focus on achieving both functional and aesthetic results for his patients.
Plastic, Reconstructive, and Cleft Surgeon. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, EMC Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Martijn Cornelissen is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with a special focus on pediatric craniofacial surgery, particularly cleft lip and palate care. He is currently practicing at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, where he is part of the multidisciplinary craniofacial team. Martijn Cornelissen earned his PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where his academic work has contributed to advancements in cleft and craniofacial treatment. With a strong combination of surgical expertise and scientific insight, he is committed to improving both the functional and aesthetic outcomes for children with (cranio)facial anomalies. Together with Emma Paes, he co-leads this 6th International Dutch Cleft Course.
Plastic, Reconstructive, and Cleft Surgeon. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, EMC Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Sarah Versnel is a plastic surgeon at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, specializing in craniofacial surgery with a particular focus on congenital anomalies such as cleft lip and palate, craniosynostosis, and rare facial clefts. Sarah Versnel actively participates in the European Reference Network (ERN) CRANIO, collaborating with international experts to establish consensus on best practices and to develop comprehensive registries for cleft lip and palate care. Her commitment to advancing craniofacial care is underscored by her extensive research endeavors. She earned her PhD from Erasmus University Rotterdam with a thesis titled “Let’s Face It: Causes, treatment and consequences of rare facial clefts,” which delved into the complexities of rare craniofacial anomalies and their long-term treatment outcomes.
Plastic, Reconstructive, and Cleft Surgeon. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, EMC Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Mieke Marianne Pleumeekers is a plastic surgeon specializing in craniofacial surgery, with a particular focus on treating children with cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial anomalies. She is affiliated with Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, where she contributes to the multidisciplinary cleft and craniofacial teams. Mieke Pleumeekers is recognized as a clinical expert at the Erasmus Medical Center of Expertise for Craniofacial Anomalies, a member of the European Reference Network (ERN) CRANIO. In addition to her clinical work, she has contributed to research in the field of tissue engineering and cartilage regeneration, aiming to enhance reconstructive outcomes for patients with craniofacial conditions.
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Peter Don Griot is a plastic surgeon with special interest to the care of children with cleft and craniofacial conditions. He currently works at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ) in Utrecht, where he focuses his expertise on reconstructive surgery for children born with cleft lip and/or palate. In addition to his clinical work, Peter Don Griot is actively involved in academic research. He has contributed to several studies focused on improving outcomes in cleft care, including research on Pierre Robin sequence
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Nirvana Kornmann is a plastic surgery resident specializing in pediatric reconstructive surgery, with a particular focus on cleft care.She is currently affiliated with UMC Utrecht and next to her residency, she is pursuing her doctoral research in cleft care. She has contributed to studies evaluating the Cleft Aesthetic Rating Scale (CARS), aiming to enhance the assessment of postoperative results in unilateral cleft lip and palate repairs. Last year, Nirvana Kornmann participated in a surgical mission in Peru, as part of a team led by prof. Aebele Mink van der Molen.During this mission, the team conducted cleft surgeries and provided training to local medical professionals.
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Lieke Hofman is a PhD candidate at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ) in Utrecht, with a focus on cleft care. With a background in medicine and a strong interest in pediatric plastic surgery, her research aims to improve surgical outcomes and overall quality of life for children born with cleft lip and palate. Lieke’s doctoral work is centered around optimizing cleft palate surgery techniques and understanding long-term speech outcomes. She collaborates closely with cleft surgeons, speech therapists, and researchers within the ERN CRANIO network, contributing to international efforts to develop standardized care pathways across Europe.
Nurse practitioner / Nurse Cleft team. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Drs. E.E.B. (Esther) van Oers-Hazelzet (1975) has been working at the University Medical Center Utrecht since 1998. She graduated in 2008 from the Health Sciences program at Utrecht University. In 2014 she completed the Master of Advanced Nursing Practice and recently she graduated from the Master Quality and Patient Safety at the Radboud University at Nijmegen.
She is an experienced nurse practitioner with a history in infectious diseases (HIV/Hepatitis) and oncology (breast cancer). In 2019 she switched to the Plastic surgery team at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital UMC Utrecht. Since then she became a member of the Utrecht Cleft Team, with special interest in the topics: Quality and Safety, Value Based Healthcare and Shared Decision making.
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Aebele Mink van der Molen was trained in Zwolle (the Netherlands) as a plastic surgeon with a broad interest. He initially sub-specialized in hand and microsurgery with fellowships in the UK and USA. Later, he switched to pediatric plastic surgery with an emphasis on cleft care and congenital limb anomalies. He supervises multiple Ph.D. students and has a special interest and expertise in infants with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. He is currently the head of the cleft team in Utrecht and active within ERN Cranio. Together with the cleft team he organized a successful ECPCA meeting in Utrecht in 2019 and is looking forward to hosting the upcoming International Cleft Course Utrecht.
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Marjan (1966) has been working at the University Medical Centre Utrecht since 2009. As a member of the staff secretary, she has been involved in organizing many congresses and events. She facilitated the International Cleft Course Utrecht since its beginning in 2008.
Ans (1964) works as a secretary in our team since 2019. Formerly she worked in various (non)profit organizations but is now dedicated to facilitating the staff of the pediatric surgery team of the Wilhelmina Children’s hospital. She has been helping with the organization of the congress since the previous edition in 2023. Without both their organizing ability and input this course could not be what it currently is!
Ronald L.A.W. Bleys (1959) graduated as MD in 1986 at Utrecht University. He has been working as an anatomist at the medical faculty of Utrecht University (now: University Medical Center Utrecht) since 1987. In 1995 he received his PhD degree on the thesis “Innervation of the basal cerebral arteries: pathways and densities”. Part of this research had been performed at the department of anatomy of the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in London, UK. In 1999 he became registered as a medical morphological investigator by the Foundation for Biomedical Scientific Research Training (SMBWO). He became head of the department of Anatomy in 2000 and full professor of Clinical Anatomy in 2012.
His recent research work has focused on the interactions between the vascular system and the autonomic nervous system. More specifically, he is investigating the role of the autonomic nervous system in the regulation of inflammatory responses. Furthermore, in collaboration with clinicians of especially surgical disciplines, he has been participating in clinical anatomical research projects, with a special focus on esophageal cancer surgery.
He is an all-around anatomist with enormous teaching experience, including training medical residents and specialists. His department has become a centre of excellence for postgraduate anatomical training in the Netherlands and hosts well-known international courses. His own specialty is the head and neck region. He is also involved in teaching innovations, one of them being the development and implementation of virtual 3D anatomical models.
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgery, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Emma C. Paes began her medical studies at the University of Utrecht in 2002. Her interest in plastic surgery grew during her time in the anatomy department, where she conducted her first scientific work, performing cadaver dissections to explore the anatomical features of the internal mammary artery perforator flap. While awaiting the start of her plastic surgery training in 2012, Emma worked as a junior lecturer in head and neck anatomy under the guidance of Professor Ronald Bleys.
In 2015, Emma defended her Ph.D. thesis, titled “Progress Toward Understanding Infants with Robin Sequence.” Since 2017, she has been practicing as a pediatric reconstructive plastic surgeon at both the University Medical Centre and the Princess Máxima Center in Utrecht. Her clinical focus includes post-oncologic pediatric reconstructions, microtia and facial nerve reconstructions, and the treatment of pediatric vascular anomalies.
In 2021, she joined the Cleft Team at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital and currently supervises multiple research projects in cleft care.
