the musicology and French at the Sorbonne

I feel particularly well in France. "Freshly landed in Rotterdam, Alexander Eggermont, first non-Français to be appointed Director-General of the Institut de cancérologie Gustave - Roussy (TMF), when not his pleasure to find a country where he has already lived. It was at the time of his medical studies in 1975-1976. A year that the Dutch medicine internal to the Pitié-Salpêtrière, as it is... the musicology and French at the Sorbonne. Because Alexander Eggermont has always had the taste of foreign languages. It must be said that he was good school with two parents teachers - one of English, German, and French - who, every summer, criss-crossing Europe in family. "Vacation studious but wonderful educational", smiles, adding that, later, he made with his own children.

If languages and music are early passions, Alexander Eggermont wants early to become a scientist. The ex-guitariste and singer of the Group vitamin C opts for surgery, a discipline "very close to his character", which requires to make decisions quickly and keep. Convinced that "you must choose a field of excellence that must be mastered", he specializes in cancer, melanoma and sarcoma. Above all, it includes "early" interest to combine the clinical and basic research. "I am not a technocrat of the surgery, I am a biologist of the surgery," explains that, at the age of forty-eight displays a CV impressive (550 publications) Professor at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and Director of the Department of cancer surgery of the University centre Daniel den Hoed in the same city. Ensuring a day and a half in surgery, a consultation day and the rest of the week - and often the weekend - in research activities. "Alexander Eggermont made several things at once, it is embodied energy", described an awe strand, Françoise Meunier, who worked with him in the European Organization for Research and treatment of Cancer (EORTC) - that he was chaired from 2003 to 2006.

A rig, which he knows well, sometimes only "for positive reasons", especially praising "the extraordinary quality of care, dedication and loyalty best staff". The Institute, first centre for fight against cancer in Europe, has substantial means: about 2,500 professionals including 300 researchers, 210 physicians statutory, 880 caregivers, for some 162.000 consultations and 43,000 patients followed in 2009.

"Listening man, attentive to others".

But, to cancer, leading cause of death in the world, "he still lot of things to do," analysis of Alexander Eggermont. At the local level, it supports the candidacy of the TMF and the université Paris-Sud XI to be recognized as a world-renowned Institute (IHU). "A project absolutely necessary", argues, referring to the critical mass problems facing cancer centres. It also has international collaborations, as it has always done: "it is essential that the research is very open because it is much more creative several." Finally, this "listening man, attentive to others, very high curiosity", according to his colleague of the EORTC Martine Piccart, great expectations of young people: "they are competent, it put them very early in a position of responsibility."