Françoise Meunier


Françoise Meunier is a Belgian medical doctor specialised in oncology, former Director General of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Founder of the . She got elevated to Baroness in 2007 by King Albert II of Belgium.
She is also the Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium, a member of the Science Policy Committee of the, and a member of the Steering Committee of at the European Cancer Organisation. She also serves on the Scientific Committee of and board member of .

Biography

Françoise Meunier is a Belgian medical doctor, researcher, and advocate in oncology. She graduated as a medical doctor from the Université libre de Bruxelles in 1974 and obtained from the same university a Master of Medical Oncology in 1976. Certified by the in 1977, she earned a Fulbright Prize the same year and served as a research fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Dr. Meunier completed a Master in Internal Medicine at ULB in 1979 and earned her PhD in 1985. She later specialised in hospital hygiene, earning a certificate from ULB in 1990.
In 1994, she was named a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK and, in 1995, a Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine in the UK. As the director General of EORTC from 1995 to 2015, she was involved in the coordination and administration of all EORTC activities. She became a member of the Belgian College of Pharmaceutical Medicine in 2001 and a Specialist in Health Database Management in 2003. In 2006, she was elected at the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium

Advocacy for the Right to Be Forgotten (RTBF)

Françoise Meunier is a prominent advocate for the quality of life of cancer survivors, specifically around the issue of financial discrimination against cancer survivors under the principle of the "Right to Be Forgotten". Since 2014, she has worked tirelessly to combat financial discrimination against cancer survivors. She has organised three EORTC Cancer Survivorship Summits and delivered a in Monaco titled "Cancer Patients Should Not Pay Twice!" in 2016.
Through her leadership in the European initiative on, her efforts include policy advocacy with the European Parliament and key stakeholders to establish a pan-European legal framework for the Right to Be Forgotten. From 2020 to 2022, she led a research project on this issue with the . In 2023, she launched a dedicated as a key resource of information and to promote awareness about existing measures addressing the financial discrimination cancer survivors face, and in 2024, under the auspices of the, organised a high-level conference bringing together policymakers, healthcare professionals, and advocates. The event for an EU-wide “Right to be Forgotten” to end financial discrimination against cancer survivors and reinforced a collective commitment to survivor protection and European solidarity. Stakeholders urged for the harmonisation of legislation and the creation of a support network for implementation.

Awards and honours

  • 1977 - Fulbright Prize
  • 1977, 1978 - NATO fellowship
  • 1977 - fellowship
  • 1977-1978 - Research Fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City
  • 1978-1979 - "Special Projects Section" fellowship from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
  • 1987-1988 - Pfizer Prize     
  • 1990 - Prize
  • 1992 - Invited as guest speaker of the
  • 1994 - ESTRO Honorary Member
  • 1994 - Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Great Britain
  • 1994-1996 - Belgium
  • 1994 - FRCP, U.K.
  • 1994 - Associate Member
  • 1995 - Member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom
  • 1996 - Slovak Society of Chemotherapy - Honorary Member
  • 1996 - Fellow by Distinction of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom
  • 1997 - Pfizer Belgium Clinical Research Award
  • 2000  - Member of the FECS Education and Training Committee
  • 2001 - Member of the Belgian College of Pharmaceutical Medicine
  • 2002  - Member of the Europa Donna Scientific Committee Belgium
  • 2004 - Invited as speaker at the Fédération des Académies de Belgique
  • 2004 - Invited as speaker at the Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique
  • 2004 - Belgian Laureate for the “ 2004-2005”
  • 2006 - Award “Femme Leaders” - Association Belge des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprise
  • 2006 - Member of Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique
  • 2007  -  Elevated to Baroness by King Albert II of Belgium
  • 2007-2009 - Member of Bureau de l’Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique
  • 2009  - Pezcoller Foundation Award for contribution to oncology as a scientific leader and  mentor
  • 2009 - 2014 - Member of the Accreditation Council of Oncology in Europe
  • 2009 - Pezcoller-ECCO Prize for Contributions to Oncology
  • 2010 - Member of Woman on Board
  • 2011 -  ... Fellow of European Academy of Cancer Sciences
  • 2012-2016 - Member of the IMI Scientific Committee
  • 2012-2013 - Member of the board of the Federation of European Academies of Medicines
  • 2012 - ESMO Life Time Achievement Award for EORTC
  • 2013 - Member of the European Cancer Concord Steering Committee
  • 2013 - ECCO Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2014 -...  Member of the Board of Centre Scientifique de Monaco
  • 2015 - Chairman of Accreditation Council of Oncology in Europe
  • 2015 -  Degree of Doctor of Medical Science by the Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
  • 2015-2018 - Member of the board of the Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe
  • 2015-2018 - Board Member of the EORTC Cancer Research Fund
  • 2015-2020 - Member of the Scientific Panel of Health of the European Commission
  • 2024 - Recipient of the Lifetime Contribution on Oncology award, presented by Csaba Degi, at the joint ECO-Euro event in Dublin
  • 2024 - Recipient of the OncoDaily Influential Woman in Oncology award, which                 honours 100 women worldwide for their leadership, innovation and dedication to advancing oncology.

Overview of Professional Affiliations