path4ward Symposium 2025

Professor Dr. Inge Gies is the Head of the Pediatric Department at UZ Brussel, where she also leads the KidZ Health Castle and the Pediatric Endocrinology unit. Her clinical expertise encompasses pediatric endocrinology, with a focus on lipid disorders and obesity management in children. She serves as the medical coordinator of the Klinefelter Clinic at UZ Brussel. In addition to her clinical roles, Prof. Dr. Gies is an active researcher affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, contributing to the field of pediatric endocrinology. Her research interests include bone mineral density, insulin resistance, and child health.

Professor Dr. Eveline Dirinck, MD, PhD, is a distinguished endocrinologist at the Antwerp University Hospital (UZ Antwerpen), specializing in endocrinology, diabetology, and metabolic diseases. She earned her medical degree with great distinction from the University of Antwerp in 2007 and completed her PhD in Medical Sciences at the same institution in 2016. Dr. Dirinck's clinical expertise encompasses obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and diabetic foot care. She is a board member of the Belgian Association for the Study of Obesity.

Professor Dr. Véronique Beauloye, MD, PhD, is a pediatric endocrinologist at the Zeepreventorium in De Haan, Belgium, a rehabilitation center specializing in chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes in children. She is also an invited professor at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain). Dr. Beauloye has an extensive research background, with her work being cited over 2,500 times, reflecting her significant contributions to pediatric endocrinology. Her research interests include the management of childhood obesity, as evidenced by her involvement in studies evaluating multidisciplinary approaches for treating this condition. She has also contributed to research on hormonal changes in children with Prader-Willi Syndrome.

Dr. Julie Harvengt is a pediatrician and clinical geneticist at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Liège, specializing in pediatric endocrinology and genetics. She leads the ROHHAD Epigenetic Project, focusing on the epigenetic study of patients with ROHHAD Syndrome to identify genomic regions with epigenetic alterations. Her research contributions include publications on genetic obesity and hyperphagia. Dr. Harvengt's work is instrumental in understanding the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying complex pediatric conditions, aiming to improve diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in clinical genetics.

As a co-founder of the Obesity Clinic CGG, a national expertise center for diagnosing and treating children and adolescents with genetic, syndromic, and hypothalamic obesity, her research focuses on clinical and translational projects concerning diagnostics and treatment of (genetic) obesity, as well as corticosteroid diagnostics and monitoring in children. Professor van den Akker is a member of the ESPE Clinical Practice Committee, the ESPE representative on the advisory board of RareEndoERN, and an active participant in the RareEndoERN Main Thematic Group 5 on growth and obesity.

Dr Cetiner is also a member of numerous national and international professional societies for paediatric nephrology and sonography. His scientific work focuses on ciliopathies, particularly Bardet-Biedl syndrome. He has also driven the establishment and further development of state-of-the-art sonographic procedures in paediatrics.