Françoise Meunier

Françoise Meunier (MD, PhD, FRCP, UK) is a Belgian medical doctor specialised in oncology, former Director General of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer(EORTC) and Founder of the European Initiative on Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors. 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 (ARMB), a member of the Science Policy Committee of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS), and a member of the Steering Committee of the Network on Survivorship and Quality of Life at the European Cancer Organisation (ECO). She also serves on the Scientific Committee of Cancer Patients Europe (CPE) and board member of Centre Scientifique de Monaco.

Biography Françoise Meunier (born October 30, 1949, in Ath, Belgium) is a Belgian medical doctor, researcher, and advocate in oncology. She graduated as a medical doctor from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in 1974 and obtained from the same university a Master of Medical Oncology in 1976. Certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) 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 (1917 – 1978). 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 (FRCP) in the UK and, in 1995, a Fellow (by distinction) 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 (BCPM) in 2001 and a Specialist in Health Database Management (Belgian Health Ministry) in 2003. In 2006, she was elected at the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium (ARMB)

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 (2014, 2016, and 2018) and delivered a TEDx talk in Monaco titled "Cancer Patients Should Not Pay Twice!" in 2016.

Through her leadership in the European initiative on Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors, 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 European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC). In 2023, she launched a dedicated website 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 Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, organised a high-level conference bringing together policymakers, healthcare professionals, and advocates. The event called 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 - Fondation Rose et Jean Hoguet fellowship (for research against cancer) 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 - Fernand Hirsch Prize (AMUB) 1992 - Invited as guest speaker of the Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique 1994 - ESTRO Honorary Member 1994 - Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Great Britain 1994-1996 - Scientific Council ESO Belgium 1994 - FRCP (Fellow Royal College of Physicians), U.K. 1994 - ESMO 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 (Federation of European Cancer societies) Education and Training Committee 2001 - Member of the Belgian College of Pharmaceutical Medicine (BCPM) 2002 - Member of the Europa Donna Scientific Committee Belgium 2004 - Invited as speaker at the Fédération des Académies de Belgique (FEAM) 2004 - Invited as speaker at the Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique 2004 - Belgian Laureate for the “Prix Femmes d’Europe 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 (ACOE) 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 (Innovative Medicine Initiative) Scientific Committee 2012-2013 - Member of the board of the Federation of European Academies of Medicines (FEAM) 2012 - ESMO Life Time Achievement Award for EORTC 2013 - Member of the European Cancer Concord (ECC) Steering Committee 2013 - ECCO Lifetime Achievement Award 2014 - ... Member of the Board of Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM) 2015 - Chairman of Accreditation Council of Oncology in Europe (ACOE) 2015 - Degree of Doctor of Medical Science (Honoris Causa) 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 (SPH) 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

Founder of the European Initiative on Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium (ARMB) Member of the Science Policy Committee, European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS) Member of the Steering Committee of Survivorship and Quality of Life, European Cancer Organisation (ECO) Member of the Scientific Committee, Cancer Patient Europe (CPE) Fellow Royal College of Physicians, UK Fellow Royal College of Pharmaceutical Medicine, UK Member of the Belgian College of Pharmaceutical Medicine, BE