Philip R. Debruyne

Philip R. Debruyne is an Honorary Visiting Professor at Anglia Ruskin University's Medical Technology Research Centre (Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Life Sciences), and a Consultant Medical Oncologist/Clinical Pharmacologist at Az Groeninge Hospital in Belgium. He holds academic roles at the Catholic University of Leuven's Faculty of Medicine as an Academic Consultant supervising medical oncology registrar rotations.

Education: He earned his MD (1989-1996) and PhD in Medical Sciences (1998-2002) from Ghent University, followed by an MSc in Pharmacology (2003-2005) from Thomas Jefferson University. He holds certifications from the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology and the Royal College of Physicians (Glasgow).

Research focuses on optimizing care for vulnerable cancer populations, including geriatric oncology, cognitive impairment in cancer patients, and early-phase clinical trials for head and neck cancers. Notable projects include the STRENGTH trial (2017-2020) evaluating gabapentin for radiation-induced pain and the Social Grants-funded art therapy initiative (2017-2019).

He has advised over 6 PhD/MSc students since 2011, coordinated Az Groeninge's early clinical trials program, and led research grants totaling €436,350. His work appears in journals like Journal of Geriatric Oncology and BMC Cancer.

• Awards: FRCP(Glasg) (2007), FCP (2013)
• Editorial roles: Associate Editor for European Journal of Cancer Care (2012-2015) and BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology (2013-2016)

Labs/Teams: Coordinates multidisciplinary teams in geriatric oncology research at Az Groeninge and collaborates with KU Leuven's Academic Consultants Unit.