Prof. Dr. Gilbert Gerard Ghislain DONDERS

graduated as a medical doctor in 1985 and was trained as specialist in OB Gyn (1990) at the Katholieke University of Leuven, Belgium. While full time at work at the Regional Hospital in Tienen (Belgium), he defended his Doctoral Thesis in Biomedical Sciences (PhD) also in Leuven in June 1997. He has held or holds academic positions as visiting professor in Liege University (Belgium), in Covilha (Portugal), and in Bukavu (Rep Congo). Since 2020 he holds the position of Full Professor at the University Antwerp Belgium. After 25 years Vulvovagintis clinic in University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, he now runs the Clinic for Lower Genital Tract Pathology at Antwerp University Hospital since 2012.

In 2000 he founded an independent research society, Femicare, to perform both industry-driven as well as investigator driven research projects improving women’s health. This template has later been adapted by ISIDOG colleagues is Portugal, Latvia, Lithuania and Italy. With Femicare, G Donders has authored over 250 international peer reviewed papers, and developed the ReCiDiF regimen for treatment of recurrent candida vulvovaginitis, and defined Aerobic vaginitis, a vaginal bacterial dysbiosis which is distinct from bacterial vaginosis. Both the ReCiDiF treatment regimen and diagnosis of AV are not worldwide accepted and routinely applied mainly all over Europe and south east Asia. To reinforce knowledge, regular initiation and master courses are installed by Femicare and ISIDOG to learn microscopy of vaginal fluid and comprehend the vaginal homeostasis and disease.

G Donders and his team collaborate with several international renomated labs, such as Weil institute at Cornell university in New York (S Witkin) , Covilha University Portugal (A Palmeira), Radboud University Nijmegen the Netherlands (M. Netea) , AML in Antwerp (C Depuydt) and Labs of bio- engineering and microbioma research in Estonia (T Drell), Antwerp University (S Lebeer) and Baltimore (J Ravel), resulting in promotorship of 6 Doctoral theses and tens of master theses. Research interests are Painful sexual intercourse, Self testing of HPV to assess cervix lesions, therapeutic and prophylactic HPV Vaccinations, Maternal Group B Streptococcal vaccinations, CMV vaccination and immunotherapy, Menopausal symptom treatment, Bacterial Vulvovagintis, Vaginal microbioma Candida vulvovaginitis diagnostics, treatment, and prevention.

While since 1985 a member of former societies ESIDOG and I-IDSOG, G Donders founded the International Society for Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISIDOG) in 2015, replacing both former societies. ISIDOG keeps a close collaboration with the International Union of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (IUSTI), the European Board and college of OB/Gyn (EBCOG) and International Federation of OB/GYN (FIGO). ISIDOG organizes successful bi-annual international congresses in several European cities, with an emphasis on scientific openness and quality, friendship and intense interaction with experts and industry. G Donders was recently reelected as ISIDOG president and hopes to make the society grow, while still keeping the family feeling.