Dr René R.W.J. van der Hulst
MD, PhD plastic surgeon
Dr René R.W.J. van der Hulst, MD, PhD, is a distinguished plastic surgeon and academic leader with over two decades of experience in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
He completed his medical education and specialized training in plastic surgery in Maastricht, Rotterdam, and Paris, earning his PhD in 1996. Since 2001, he has been practising at Maastricht University Medical Center+ (MUMC+), where he was appointed head of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Hand Surgery in 2008 and became a professor in 2009. His clinical expertise encompasses craniofacial surgery, microsurgical breast reconstruction (notably the DIEP flap technique), head and neck reconstruction, and aesthetic procedures. In July 2023, Prof. Dr van der Hulst was appointed the medical director of the Maastricht UMC+ Comprehensive Cancer Center (MCCC), where he collaborates with managing director Milenka van Kempen and the research school GROW to advance the centre’s mission.
He has also served as president of the Dutch Society for Plastic Surgery from 2012 to 2015. An active researcher, he has authored over 250 scientific publications and supervised twenty-five PhD candidates, focusing on areas such as breast implant illness, BIAALCL, lipofilling, and lymphedema surgery.
Prof. van der Hulst maintains clinical affiliations with regional hospitals including Zuyderland, VieCuri, and the Mooi Kliniek, and is committed to delivering patient-centred care and mentoring the next generation of surgeons.
