Prof. dr. D. Oepkes is professor of Obstetrics and Fetal Therapy. He is Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, head of the section Fetal Medicine, department of Obstetrics, LUMC. He is fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).

More information about Dick Oepkes

Prof. dr. D. Oepkes is professor of Obstetrics and Fetal Therapy. He is Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, head of the section Fetal Medicine, department of Obstetrics, LUMC. He is fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).

Fetal therapy

This full-time strategic chair was the first chair in Fetal Therapy in the Netherlands. Professor Oepkes leads the national ‘top-referral care’ center for fetal therapy in the Netherlands, recognized by the Ministry of Health and the EU as Center of Excellence for highly complex invasive treatment of unborn children. The centre performs over 200 fetal operations annually, thereby contributing significantly to a reduction in national perinatal mortality rates, since most of these children would not survive without the fetal intervention. 

Research interests are the development of innovative techniques for minimally invasive surgery (a collaboration with the Technical University Delft and the Erasmus MC Rotterdam; the 'Medical Delta'), red cell and platelet alloimmunization in pregnancy, monochorionic twin diseases and fetal heart surgery. In an EU Horizon 2020 project, fetal stem-cell therapy for brittle bone disease (osteogeneis imperfecta) is being investigated. Together with professor Enrico Lopriore, neonatologist, long-term follow-up of the development of all children born after fetal interventions is an important interest of the LUMC center for fetal therapy. The research program of the center encompass several of the themes of the National Science Agenda.

Academic career

In the early years of his career, professor Oepkes concentrated on novel techniques in diagnosis and management of red cell and platelet alloimmunization. He received his PhD with distinction in 1993, the thesis was entitled 'Ultrasound and Doppler in the management of Red Cell Alloimmunization'. He initiated and supervised many international multicenter trials in fetal therapy, resulting in publications in the major journals as the NEJM and the Lancet, and in most cases changing worldwide clinical practice. Web of Science lists 342 peer-reviewed publications, his h-index is 33 (Feb 2018). He supervised 19 PhD students. In 2012, he held his inaugural lecture, entitled 'Venit Fetus ad Medicum' (A fetus comes to see the doctor).

Prizes and honourable appointments

• Dutch Ambassador for SMFM (Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine)
• Fellow ad eundem of the RCOG (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)