Dr. Mark Vierhout has been a member of IUGA since the ‘beginning’. He is one of, if not the first, founding fathers of urogynecology in the Netherlands. It all started with his curiosity and love for learning. He was one of the initiators of the Pelvic Floor Working Group in the Netherlands, which began with small evening meetings in a room at a university and continued to grow, becoming the professional organization that exists today. He also initiated building the national curriculum in urogynecology. Twenty-six years ago, Mark also worked with Harry Vervest and Hans van Geelen to organize the IUGA Annual Meeting in Amsterdam.
Mark is an ambitious man and due to his continued drive, he became the first Professor of urogynecology in the Netherlands, at the University of Nijmegen. He has mentored many of the top urogynecologists in the Netherlands through their PhD studies, including IUGA President, Fred Milani, Jan Willem de Leeuw, Kirsten Kluivers, Mariella Withagen, and many others. He has also worked with international experts such as John Delancey.
Even with such an impressive resume and the unwavering respect from his colleagues, Mark has always been a warm-hearted, friendly, down to earth man. All Dutch urogynecologists owe Mark a great deal of gratitude, as he is considered true pioneer of the field in the Netherlands.
IUGA congratulates Mark on receiving this prestigious award!
Mark Vierhout
The Netherlands