The walking egg on wheels
Thusday, July 3 | 9:30 - 12:30
LABIOMISTA - Studio Koen Vanmechelen, Genk
We are proud to invite you to the event:
“The Walking Egg on Wheels: Affordable IVF in a Mobile Unit”
This event is organized by the Walking egg VZW in collaboration with UHasselt, the Limburg Clinical Research Center (LCRC) and Inez Limburg.
With contributions from international experts and visionary thinkers, we will explore the impact and potential of The Walking Egg project from multiple perspectives. It promises to be a morning of insight, dialogue, and inspiration—culminating in a reception in the vibrant surroundings of LABIOMISTA.
Register here untill June 25th
Registration:
- Participation is free of charge, but advance registration is required. Please note that the number of participants is limited, and registrations will only be confirmed after approval by the organizing team.
- A no-show fee of €50 will apply to confirmed participants who do not attend.
- Accreditation for ethics has been requested.
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Time |
Program |
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09:30 - 10:00 |
Arrival participants & welcome coffee |
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10:00 - 10:10 |
Introduction |
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10:10 - 10:30 |
The Walking Egg Project – Universal access to infertility care |
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10:30 - 10:55 |
The Mobile IVF Unit at a glance |
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Infertility care in Low-and Middle Income Countries: |
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10:55 - 11:10 |
The clinician's view |
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11:10 - 11:25 |
The politician's view |
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11:25 - 11:45 |
The artist’s view |
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11:45 - 12:00 |
The ethicist’s view |
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12:00 - 12:20 |
Round Table discussion |
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12:20 - 12:30 |
Conclusion |
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12:30 - 13.30 |
Lunch |
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Speakers |
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Piet Stinissen Piet Stinissen is professor of immunology and former dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences at Hasselt University. His scientific interests are focused on the study of autoimmune diseases (including multiple sclerosis) and innovation in health care. He is director of the LCRC (Limburg Clinical Research Center) a collaboration between UHasselt and the teaching hospitals ZOL (Genk) and Jessa (Hasselt). He is chairman of the andreaz hospital network, founder of the University MS Center and co-founder of the Center for the First Line Limburg (CELL). He holds board positions in BioVille, Health Campus Limburg and In4Care, among others. |
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Willem Ombelet Willem Ombelet graduated as a medical doctor from the Catholic University of Leuven in 1979. He started his career researching infertility and IVF in 1984 in Pretoria, South Africa. In 1998, he obtained his PhD degree at the University of Leuven. From 2001 until 2004 he was the President of the Flemish Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. |
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Gerard Boshoff Gerhard Boshoff is a scientist (embryologist) in the Private Sector of South Africa and currently holds the position Chief Embryologist at the Cape Fertility Clinic. After completing a BSc degree in Human Genetics at the University of Pretoria in 2005, he was at first employed as a laboratory technician in a pathology laboratory. He was sensitised to the field of embryology through experiences with bovine embryo flushing and actively started pursuing a career in this field in 2008. Returning to the University of Pretoria in 2009 to complete the degree BSc (Hons) Human Cell Biology (cum laude), Mr Boshoff was able to join the Public Sector team at the Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Steve Biko Academic Hospital (RBL) as an intern medical scientist in 2010. After completion of his internship, he continued working at the RBL from 2012 as an embryologist and took up the position of Assistant Director: Medical Science in December 2014, while also continuing post graduate research. Approaching the completion of his PhD degree, he was offered the position of Chief Embryologist at the Cape Fertility Clinic and moved from the Public to the Private Sector in January 2025. In April 2017, Mr Boshoff submitted a dissertation at the University of Pretoria for the degree MSc Reproductive Biology. The main focus of his master’s project was investigating an in vitro embryo culture system developed to make ART more accessible. This research was further expanded into a joint PhD at the Universities of Pretoria (South Africa) and Hasselt (Belgium), which he is in the final stages of completion. As a part of this project, he has designed and tested the use of a mobile IVF laboratory. Mr Boshoff is actively involved in embryology training and his research interests lies in the applicability of assisted reproductive services in resource poor communities and the practical application of ART. |
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Marleen Temmerman Prof Temmerman, MD, MPH, PhD. Director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya. Chairholder, AKU UNESCO Chair in Youth Leadership in Health, Education, Gender and Sciences. Previously: Director of RHR, at the World Health Organization, HQ Geneva (2012-15). Elected Senator in the Belgian Parliament. Founding Director of the International Centre of Reproductive Health (ICRH) at Ghent University, Belgium, with offices in Kenya and Mozambique. Strong academic background with over 600 peer reviewed publications and books in the area of women, adolescents and children health and rights, family planning, HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, and health systems (Scopus H-index 109). Supervised over 60 PhD students, and won several awards. Professor-Emeritus OB/GYN at Ghent University, Belgium. International Member US National Academy of Medicine, International Honorary Member American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow Royal College Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Fellow African Academy of Sciences, BMJ Lifetime Achievement Award 2010. Commander in the Order of King Leopold, Belgium, 2024. Interest in women’s health and rights, adolescents and youth health, sexual and reproductive health, family planning and infertility, maternal-newborn health, infectious diseases, women’s cancers, health systems, vulnerable populations, implementation research, digitalization and innovation, and global health politics and diplomacy. |
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Petra De Sutter 1987-1994 training in gynaecology and obstetrics, specialisation in reproductive medicine (fertility clinic UZ Gent) 2014-2019 combination with (half-time) mandate co-opted Senator and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. |
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Koen Vanmechelen Koen Vanmechelen is one of the most versatile thinkers of these times. He is situated at the confluence of art, science, philosophy and community. As an eternal migrant, he travels the world looking for answers to fundamental questions that touch on issues which are both timeless and acutely relevant today: identity, diversity, globalisation and human rights. He weaves those answers – always works in progress – into enigmatic artworks and projects. His quests and interdisciplinary projects invite others to work together and create an awareness and a movement of communities around the world. Together, they reflect on the global legacy of the human animal and explore the different ways we choose to live and evolve together. In 2010, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hasselt and in 2013, he was awarded the prestigious Golden Nica Hybrid Art Award (Linz) and Global Artist's Award (Venice). Vanmechelen has presented his work on almost every continent, in, amongst others, the Uffizi Gallery (Firenze), V&A Museum (London), ZKM (Karlsruhe) and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana (Cuba). Besides making regular appearances at the Venice Biennale, his work has been shown at the Biennials of Moscow, Havana, Dakar and Poznan, at the Triennial of Guangzhou, at the World Expo Shanghai 2010, at Manifesta 9, and at dOCUMENTA (13). As a speaker in high demand, he was invited to address the World Economic Forum (2008) and various TED conferences. |
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Guido Pennings Guido Pennings is emeritus professor of ethics and bioethics at Ghent University (Belgium) and the director of the Bioethics Institute Ghent (BIG). He mainly publishes on ethical problems associated with medically assisted reproduction and genetics. He obtained his PhD in Moral Sciences at the Free University Brussels (Belgium) with a thesis on the ethical aspects of medically assisted reproduction with donor gametes (including donor anonymity, donor rights, donor payment, double track system, directed donation, access to ART and distributive justice). He was professor of ethics and bioethics at Ghent University (Belgium) and director of the Bioethics Institute Ghent (BIG). He was also Affiliate Lecturer in the Faculty of Politics, Psychology, Sociology and International Studies at Cambridge University and is Guest Professor on “Ethics in Reproductive Medicine” at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Free University of Brussels. |
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Nathalie Dhont Nathalie Dhont is currently head of IVF unit in ZOL hospitals, Genk After graduating as a gynaecologist she worked shortly in Malawi and for more than 7 years in Rwanda. In Rwanda she became aware of the devastating consequences of infertility on the lives of african couples. She went on to do research on Infertility in resource poor settings, collaborating with Ghent university, Amsterdam University and Willem Ombelet. She defended her PhD on this subject in 2000 at the university of Ghent. Her promotor was Marleen Temmerman. 14 years ago she came to Genk to work in the IVF unit of Willem Ombelet and was for many years collaborator in the Walking Egg project. |
