Françoise Meunier (MD, PhD, FRCP, UK) is a Belgian

medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

specialised in oncology, former Director General of the

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) is a unique pan-European non-profit clinical cancer research organisation established in 1962 operating as an international association under Belgium law. It develops, conduc ...

(EORTC) and Founder of th
European Initiative on Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors
She got elevated to Baroness in 2007 by King Albert II of

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. She is also the Vice-President of the

Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium (, ), founded on 19 September 1841 by royal decree of King Leopold I, is an academy that brings together Belgian scientists. It is headquartered in Brussels at the Palace of Academies. History The Roya ...

(ARMB), a member of the Science Policy Committee of th
European Academy of Cancer Sciences
(EACS), and a member of the Steering Committee o

at the

European Cancer Organisation The European Cancer Organisation is a Not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit federation of 41 Member Societies working in cancer at a Europe, European level, together with 21 European Patient Advisory Committee members. The Organisation is ...

(ECO). She also serves on the Scientific Committee o
Cancer Patients Europe
(CPE) and board member o
Centre Scientifique de Monaco

Biography

Françoise Meunier (born October 30, 1949, in

Ath Ath (; , ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien, Gibecq, Houtaing, Irchonwelz, Isières ...

, Belgium) is a Belgian medical doctor, researcher, and advocate in oncology. She graduated as a medical doctor from the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

(ULB) in 1974 and obtained from the same university a Master of Medical Oncology in 1976. Certified by the
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
' (ECFMG) in 1977, she earned a Fulbright Prize the same year and served as a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...

at the

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a oncology, cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute–NCI-designated Cancer Center, designated Comprehen ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(1917 – 1978). Dr. Meunier completed a Master in Internal Medicine at ULB in 1979 and earned her PhD in 1985. She later specialised in hospital hygiene, earning a certificate from ULB in 1990. In 1994, she was named a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

(FRCP) in the UK and, in 1995, a Fellow (by distinction) of the

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FPM) is a faculty of the three Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (the Royal College of Physicians London, the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and ...

in the UK. As the director General of EORTC from 1995 to 2015, she was involved in the coordination and administration of all EORTC activities. She became a member of the Belgian College of Pharmaceutical Medicine (BCPM) in 2001 and a Specialist in Health Database Management (Belgian Health Ministry) in 2003. In 2006, she was elected at the

(ARMB)

Advocacy for the Right to Be Forgotten (RTBF)

Françoise Meunier is a prominent advocate for the quality of life of cancer survivors, specifically around the issue of financial discrimination against cancer survivors under the principle of the "

Right to Be Forgotten The right to be forgotten (RTBF) is the right to have private information about a person be removed from Internet searches and other directories in some circumstances. The issue has arisen from desires of individuals to "determine the developmen ...

". Since 2014, she has worked tirelessly to combat financial discrimination against cancer survivors. She has organised three EORTC Cancer Survivorship Summits (2014, 2016, and 2018) and delivered
TEDx talk
in Monaco titled "Cancer Patients Should Not Pay Twice!" in 2016. Through her leadership in the European initiative o
Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors
her efforts include policy advocacy with the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

and key stakeholders to establish a pan-European legal framework for the

. From 2020 to 2022, she led a research project on this issue with th
European Cancer Patient Coalition
(ECPC). In 2023, she launched a dedicate
website
as a key resource of information and to promote awareness about existing measures addressing the financial discrimination cancer survivors face, and in 2024, under the auspices of th
Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
organised a high-level conference bringing together policymakers, healthcare professionals, and advocates. The even
called
for an EU-wide “

Right to be Forgotten The right to be forgotten (RTBF) is the right to have private information about a person be removed from Internet searches and other directories in some circumstances. The issue has arisen from desires of individuals to "determine the developmen ...

” to end financial discrimination against cancer survivors and reinforced a collective commitment to survivor protection and European solidarity. Stakeholders urged for the harmonisation of legislation and the creation of a support network for implementation.

Awards and honours

* 1977 - Fulbright Prize * 1977, 1978 -

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

fellowship * 1977
Fondation Rose et Jean Hoguet
fellowship (for research against cancer) * 1977-1978 - Research Fellow at

, New York City * 1978-1979 - "Special Projects Section" fellowship from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York * 1987-1988 -

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

Prize * 1990
Fernand Hirsch
Prize (AMUB) * 1992 - Invited as guest speaker of th
Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique
* 1994 - ESTRO Honorary Member * 1994 - Fellow of the

, Great Britain * 1994-1996
Scientific Council ESO
Belgium * 1994 - FRCP (Fellow Royal College of Physicians), U.K. * 1994
ESMO
Associate Member * 1995 - Member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom * 1996 - Slovak Society of Chemotherapy - Honorary Member * 1996 - Fellow by Distinction of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom * 1997 - Pfizer Belgium Clinical Research Award * 2000 - Member of the FECS (

Federation of European Cancer societies The Federation of European Cancer Societies (FECS), founded in 1981, was an international non-profit association that co-ordinated collaboration between European societies active in different fields of cancer research, prevention and treatment with ...

) Education and Training Committee * 2001 - Member of the Belgian College of Pharmaceutical Medicine (BCPM) * 2002 - Member of the Europa Donna Scientific Committee Belgium * 2004 - Invited as speaker at the Fédération des Académies de Belgique (FEAM) * 2004 - Invited as speaker at the Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique * 2004 - Belgian Laureate for the �
Prix Femmes d’Europe
2004-2005” * 2006 - Award “Femme Leaders” - Association Belge des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprise * 2006 - Member of Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique * 2007 - Elevated to Baroness by King Albert II of Belgium * 2007-2009 - Member of Bureau de l’Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique * 2009 - Pezcoller Foundation Award for contribution to oncology as a scientific leader and mentor * 2009 - 2014 - Member of the Accreditation Council of Oncology in Europe (ACOE) * 2009 - Pezcoller-ECCO Prize for Contributions to Oncology * 2010 - Member of Woman on Board * 2011 - ... Fellow of European Academy of Cancer Sciences * 2012-2016 - Member of the IMI (Innovative Medicine Initiative) Scientific Committee * 2012-2013 - Member of the board of the Federation of European Academies of Medicines (FEAM) * 2012 - ESMO Life Time Achievement Award for EORTC * 2013 - Member of the European Cancer Concord (ECC) Steering Committee * 2013 - ECCO Lifetime Achievement Award * 2014 - ... Member of the Board of Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM) * 2015 - Chairman of Accreditation Council of Oncology in Europe (ACOE) * 2015 - Degree of Doctor of Medical Science (Honoris Causa) by the Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland , UK. * 2015-2018 - Member of the board of the Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe * 2015-2018 - Board Member of the EORTC Cancer Research Fund * 2015-2020 - Member of the Scientific Panel of Health (SPH) of the European Commission * 2024 - Recipient of the Lifetime Contribution on Oncology award, presented by Csaba Degi, at the joint ECO-Euro event in Dublin * 2024 - Recipient of the OncoDaily Influential Woman in Oncology award, which honours 100 women worldwide for their leadership, innovation and dedication to advancing oncology.

Overview of Professional Affiliations

* Founder of the European Initiative on Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors * Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium (ARMB) * Member of the Science Policy Committee, European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS) * Member of the Steering Committee of Survivorship and Quality of Life, European Cancer Organisation (ECO) * Member of the Scientific Committee, Cancer Patient Europe (CPE) * Fellow Royal College of Physicians, UK * Fellow Royal College of Pharmaceutical Medicine, UK * Member of the Belgian College of Pharmaceutical Medicine, BE

External links

Françoise Meunier

Speech of Dr. Françoise Meunier, laureate of the prize ''Women of Europe''
Brussels, 13 July 2005

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meunier, Francoise Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Belgian oncologists Belgian women physicians Université libre de Bruxelles alumni Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Health informaticians Belgian healthcare managers