Associate Professor of Surgery, the European School of Laparoscopic Surgery, Brussels, Belgium.

Dr Himpens graduated cum laude at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium and promoted in 1985 as general surgeon after 5 years of training at the same university, followed by 2 years at the New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA. He performs laparoscopic surgery since 1990; performed the first laparoscopic nephrectomy for cancer in Belgium in 1992. He started laparoscopic bariatric surgery (adjustable band) in 1992 and performed the first laparoscopic gastric bypass in Belgium in 1999. He performed the first “robotic” or telesurgical procedure, a cholecystectomy, with the Intuitive prototype in 1997. He has over 150 publications in international, peer-reviewed journals and is the author of more than 15 chapters in books pertaining to laparoscopic surgery or laparoscopic metabolic/obesity surgery.