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My name is Camiel Rosman and I was born in Rotterdam, 1963, January 16th. I am a gastrointestinal surgeon, surgical oncologist and, as of January 2016, a professor in minimally invasive surgery at Radboudumc. I work at the department of surgery and my research theme is ‘tumors of the digestive tract’.
Where do you live?
I live in Mook, a small village 10 km south of Nijmegen together with my wife Gerda. We have four children. The oldest is working as a surgical resident not in training (ANIOS) at Erasmus MC Rotterdam, two are studying in Utrecht and one in Delft.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your childhood years?
When I was a kid I wanted to become a ‘friendly police officer’. I grew up in Stadskanaal which is a small town in Groningen. My father taught German in high school and my mother was working as a social worker. I was the oldest kid and have one brother and two sisters. I love(d) sports and performed a wide range of it. I went to high school (Ubbo Emmius Lyceum) in Stadskanaal and in the 6th grade I was longing to start studying.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
I studied Medicine at University of Groningen which is the second-oldest university in the Netherlands and is known as the ‘student city of the Netherlands’ since around one-third of its inhabitants are students. I chose Medicine since I was fascinated by the physiology of the human body and I admired our general practitioner. I had a great time in Groningen and joined the student rowing club Gyas for several years. For my internship I moved to Sint Elisabeth Hospital Curaçao where I lived at ‘Landhuis Brakkeput abou’ with four other interns. I came back after 18 months to start my first job as an ANIOS at the surgery department at University Hospital Groningen. That is where I met my wife Gerda. I was trained as a surgeon in Groningen and Enschede from 2001 until 2016.
Which of your research discoveries are you most proud of?
Research is teamwork and I am very proud that we have built a successful and highly productive research team during the last five years. We all know that surgical innovation is necessary to improve patient outcomes. However, one of my PhD students discovered and quantified an initial but significant increased level of patient harm during the implementation phase of several innovative and technically complex surgical techniques. For some procedures one might even conclude that the benefits are superseded by the negative impact on patient outcomes during the learning curve of the surgical team. Since we need to prevent learning at the expense of patient safety, strong efforts should be made to reduce learning associated morbidity. My team is now finding evidence for factors that are associated with effective and safe learning.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
Narrowing the scope of my (many) research projects in order to improve their impact and facilitate funding.
If you could choose any mentor, who would this be?
Former speed skater and ice-skating coach Gerard Kemkers.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
Patients, of course.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
I am convinced that working in a team consisting of researchers with different backgrounds is the ideal environment for the advancement of science. Therefore, the output of a research team instead of personal scientific output should be appreciated more.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
Performing a minimally invasive esophageal resection together with my dedicated surgical team.
What is the thing that irritates you most?
Sports injuries.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
My wife and four children.
How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?
Running, spinning (Tacx during covid pandemic), and working in my garden.
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
Join a research group focused on looking after each other.
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
This photo was taken in Vienna, during an international conference which we joined with the entire research team. During conferences we strengthen our collaboration by having fun, and we are also very productive in making plans for further research. I am looking forward to the end of the Covid pandemic so we can go to conferences again!
