Dear colleague,

It is our pleasure to invite you to the Transplantoux Symposium: Exercise is Medicine, which will be held on Friday 23 February, 2018 in Leuven, Belgium on occasion of the 10th anniversary of Transplantoux.

Topics of the symposium:

The World Transplant Games Federation believes movement is they key. In fact it doesn’t really matter whether you are transplanted or not, it is well known that sedentary behaviour leads to increased morbidity and early death. It is a message for all of us.

For transplant recipients the equation is slightly more complex. Just what can they do with their new transplanted organ? How hard can they push their bodies? How can they embrace a lifelong dedication to physical activity and movement? How can they overcome the fear of overdoing exercise?

Around the world there are countless examples of recipients who have embraced physical activity and achieved amazing outcomes in terms of peak physical performance. But we don’t all need to climb mountains or run marathons. Regular exercise, even just walking, is known to reduce the incidence of cardio-vascular disease and health conditions associated with obesity. 

The challenge for the World Transplant Games Federation is to encourage all health professionals to embrace the mantra of ‘more transplant recipients, more active more often’. This starts with good science and evidence-based medicine. The kind of evidence that will be outlined at the Transplantoux Symposium. 

We look forward to meeting, hearing of the latest research, and devising ways to spread the word of the importance of physical activity and movement in the worldwide transplant community.

Prof. dr. Diethard Monbaliu
University Hospitals Leuven, BE

Prof. dr. Robin Vos
University Hospitals Leuven, BE

Dr. Harlinde Peperstraete
Ghent University Hospital, BE

Prof. dr. Yves Van Belleghem
Ghent University Hospital, BE