Lode Dewulf is a physician with a passion for patient perspectives and understanding.

When he studied and practiced medicine in Belgium and South Africa, he quickly realized that good education about health and disease was at least as important as good medicines to help patients achieve the best outcomes. To have a broader impact he then joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1989 to create and provide good education around certain diseases and new treatment options.

Ten years later, when the internet opened new possibilities to provide quality medical information, he took a one-year sabbatical leave to co-found PlanetMedica, the first Healthcare internet portal in Europe.

He then returned to the pharmaceutical industry and acquired about 25 years of Medical Affairs experience in a wide variety of settings. In recent years he worked as Chief Patient Affairs Officer at UCB, Belgium, an executive role he piloted in the industry. He led the development of the first industry guidance on patient engagement and is considered an expert in this field. In December 2016 he joined Doctors Of The World as medical coordinator and consulting physician for the Winter Plan.

Lode considers the internet, social media and true stakeholder partnering as very important ways to improve education and awareness on health and disease. Lode also advocates that a true understanding of the patient experience is the foundational key to improve health care for all, and that patient engagement is a requirement for true patient understanding.