When diagnosed at its earliest stage, almost all (98%) people with breast cancer will survive their disease for five years or more, which means that many of those who experience breast cancer will re enter the workplace. This can come with its challenges, emotional, health and otherwise – but challenges that can be overcome and made easier by knowledge that isn’t yet widespread enough.

Join Professor Huget Désiron, specialist researcher in bridging the gap between healthcare and work, former breast cancer patient and consultant at Brussels based communications agency Akkanto, Caroline van Limbergen and an HR specialist for an enlightening conversation on how we could do things not just different, but better from everyone.

Caroline Van Limbergen

Caroline works as an consultant at Akkanto. Akkanto is an independent communication consultancy that combines strategic advice with high quality, effective implementation. Caroline has suffered from breast cancer and will share here story during the panel talk.

Hugette Désiron

Huguette Désiron graduated in 1977 as Occupational Therapist, she engaged professionally in a rehabilitation and geriatric service, which she continued till 1988.

After graduating as ergonomist, she started a self-employed consultancy, assisting employers  in solving problems when their employees needed regaining employment after long term sick-leave. Between 1988 and 2020, she combined this this with teaching in education for occupational therapists. at the University College PXL in Hasselt (Belgium). In the same period, Huget started contributing to evaluation of insurance claims regarding loss of employment, abilities in selfcare, need for home adaptation and technical aids.

Since 2002 she is a European registered ergonomist (http://www.eurerg.org/ ). Her degree “master in Health science” at University Maastricht (Netherlands) dates from 2004, with rehabilitation ergonomics as key-concept.

Subject of her PhD-study (promotion in 2016) is Return to work in Breast Cancer patients in which domain she continues her work as researcher. She is member of the Biomedical Sciences Group of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care Division Environment and Health at KULeuven (Belgium) and she participates in different projects of the research-group “Innovative health care” at PXL.

Professor Erik Van Limbergen

Erik VAN LIMBERGEN (1953) MD PhD is Professor Emeritus (KULeuven). He had his professional activity as radiation oncologist working in the fields of breast and gynecological cancers and soft tissue sarcomas. He was also coordinator of the Leuven University Centre for Cancer Prevention (LUCK) and took actively part in the implementation of the Flemish breast screening program (2001) and the development of guidelines on screening, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. He is the present chair of board directors of the CvKO (Centrum voor Kanker Opsporing) which organizes the screening of breast, cervix and colon cancers in the Flemish Region in Belgium

Katja Janssens

Katja Janssens, psychosocial manager at Cohezio, and shares with us her insights on “Work and breast cancer, how to do it. Katja summarized the core tasks for good reintegration in the acronym PINK.

P: Personal – Privacy
I: Integrate – Integrity
N: No – Now
K: Keep going on your own strength

Cohezio is an external service for prevention and protection in the workplace and accompanies long-term sick people who wish to return to work. They are also available to employers for advice.

Moderator : Isabel Casteleyn, CEO TheMerode

Timings:

Welcome : 12H00

Start Panel : 12H30 – 13H15

Q&A : 13H15-13H30