The Executive Board of Utrecht University and the Supervisory Board of UMC Utrecht have appointed Prof. Louis Bont as Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Utrecht University and Vice-Chair of the Executive Board of UMC Utrecht, effective December 1, 2025. Louis Bont will succeed Prof. Arno Hoes, who will retire on the same date.
Louis Bont is a pediatric infectious disease specialist and immunologist and as of 2021, also medical scientific manager of the Children’s Division of the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ) at UMC Utrecht. He plays an important role in patient care and scientific research in the field of childhood infectious diseases.
To succeed Arno Hoes, the Supervisory Board of UMC Utrecht, in collaboration with Utrecht University, sought someone with broad experience in patient care, higher education, and scientific research, with a keen eye for social challenges. Henk Broeders, chair of the Supervisory Board: “With Louis Bont, we have certainly succeeded. Louis is an enthusiastic pediatrician with impressive experience in both national and international research, including the associated financing and valorization. For example, the immunization of babies against the RS virus, his life’s work, has been included in the national vaccination program. In addition, Louis not only brings an integrated vision of research, education, and patient care, but also the personality and experience to provide direction and connect people, both within and outside the organization.”
Anton Pijpers, Chair of the Executive Board of Utrecht University: “In addition to his enormous track record as a physician and scientist, Louis Bont also has solid teaching experience. He is able to approach complex issues proactively and with vision. As a connecting and people-oriented leader, he combines strong social commitment with original thinking and a keen eye for areas of improvement.”
“After having had the privilege of working in pediatrics for many wonderful years, it is a privilege to be able to take on a new and exciting challenge,” says Louis Bont. “As a physician, researcher, and administrator, I enjoy working on issues that matter to society. It is my mission to strategically connect research, education, healthcare, and valorization—and I want to use my experience and international profile to strengthen UMC Utrecht nationally and internationally. I realize that I have big shoes to fill. During his long career at UMC Utrecht, Arno Hoes has guided our education and research with vision and dedication. I look forward to building on this solid foundation to shape the healthcare of tomorrow.”
Louis Bont (1970) completed his training as a pediatrician in 2005 and as a pediatric infectious disease specialist and immunologist in 2008. He practices the full range of his profession, with a focus on complex infectious diseases. He is committed to helping children in intensive care and pediatric oncology, as well as children with less serious, recurrent respiratory infections in early childhood. In 2015, he was appointed professor of respiratory infections in childhood. He leads an internationally recognized research group in the field of respiratory infections and is, among other things, the founder of the global ReSViNET network: a network of international experts and parents of children who have had a severe RSV infection.
