Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and VU University Medical Center, the Netherlands
Irma Verdonck-de Leeuw (1963) graduated as psychologist, speech pathologist, and linguist. She holds the chair Psychosocial Oncology at the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery of VU University Medical Center (VUmc), and the Section of Clinical Psychology of the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The main aim of her research is to generate knowledge on psycho-oncology and quality of life in cancer patients and their relatives and to assess (cost)effectiveness of supportive cancer care. A special focus is on self-management and eHealth. Irma Verdonck-de Leeuw supervises 19 PhD students and is (co-)author of more than 150 publications.
She is program leader of the research program “Quality of life” of Research Institute Cancer Center Amsterdam (CCA). She was member (Secretary) of the Executive Committee of the EORTC Quality of Life Group (2013-2016), chair of the Study Group Rehabilitation and Cancer Survivorship of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) (2012-2016), and board member of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) (2004-2010).