- Reference: 2536
- Application deadline: 15-01-2026
Breaking grounds as a pediatrician-neonatologist (0.8–1 FTE)
UZ Leuven positions itself as a European center of excellence in clinical care, developmental medicine, and clinical research. Continuous investment in people, science, and technology ensures the maintenance and further strengthening of this international expertise across multiple medical disciplines. Together, we can break grounds.
In synergy with its academic mission, patient care is continuously subject to critical reflection and evaluation. In dialogue with the faculty of biomedical sciences, UZ Leuven contributes to the further development of medical and paramedical education. Within a complex organizational structure of more than 10,000 dedicated employees, personalized patient care, multidisciplinary collaboration, professionalism, innovation, and continuous training are central.
In July 2010, UZ Leuven became the first Belgian hospital to achieve international, hospital-wide JCI accreditation. We are now seeking a medical staff member within the department of neonatology.
The neonatology department at UZ Leuven includes the neonatal intensive care unit (35 accredited beds), neonatal care (7 beds), maternity (2,500 deliveries annually), the center for prevention and diagnosis of sudden infant death, and the ZAL program (general infant pathology). The current neonatology staff consists of 8 permanent medical staff members.
The department is fully equipped with single patient rooms and parent–child rooms on N*. Through developmental and family-centered care with tailored psychosocial support, we provide comprehensive care for newborns and their families. With the NIDCAP Training Center, the Doneo human milk bank, advanced expertise in neurocritical care, and clinical pharmacology, our department offers leading expertise and infrastructure that directly benefits vulnerable newborns and their families.
There is close collaboration with multiple disciplines within and beyond UZ Leuven in perinatal care (prenatal interventions and fetal surgery), prematurity, congenital anomalies (hernia diaphragmatica, cardiac malformations, cleft lip/palate), and genetic and neurometabolic disorders.
How will you break grounds?
As a pediatrician-neonatologist, you break grounds by providing high-quality care every day to sick and/or preterm newborns and their families. You combine clinical expertise in a high-tech environment with a warm, human-centered approach, standing alongside parents during one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
You actively contribute to teaching and training, enabling future generations of physicians, nurses, and midwives to grow in knowledge and skills. At the same time, you strengthen scientific research and generate new insights that advance neonatal care.
Collaboration is in your DNA: you work in multidisciplinary teams on preterm birth, congenital anomalies, and perinatal interventions, and help develop innovative concepts in intensive care. In doing so, you make the Neonatology Department a place where clinical care, research, and education reinforce each other, ensuring every child the best possible start.
What do you need?
A recognized diploma in Belgium or the European Union as a medical specialist in pediatrics with subspecialization in neonatology.
- You need to obtain the validation of your medical and specialist degree in Belgium (a straightforward administrative procedure for European degrees).
- You speak one of the three official Belgian languages (Dutch, French, or German) at C1 level and are willing to learn Dutch in the short term if you are not a Dutch speaker.
You combine clinical care with a broad vision on research and education. A PhD or the ambition to obtain one demonstrates your drive to generate new insights and advance neonatal care. Your enthusiasm for connecting clinical care, scientific research, and education makes you a key figure in the department.
You actively contribute to a culture of connectedness and shared responsibility, where colleagues strengthen each other and work together toward better care and innovation. You are open to new ideas and actively seek collaboration within national and international networks, ensuring our department remains aligned with the latest global developments.
What do you get in return?
You will join a dynamic department with 35 accredited NICU beds and a strong reputation in both clinical and scientific care. You will work closely with KU Leuven and actively participate in teaching programs, allowing you to share and further develop your expertise.
In addition, you will be part of an inspiring work environment where family-centered care and innovation are central, and where care for newborns and their families is continuously strengthened by new insights. You will start with a one-year appointment, with the clear intention to convert this into a permanent position.
Ready to break grounds?
Seize this unique opportunity to apply your expertise as a pediatrician-neonatologist within a leading department where care, research, and innovation go hand in hand. Help shape the future of the youngest patients and strengthen a team that makes a difference every day.
Please send your application letter with curriculum vitae and reference number 2536 before 15-01-2026 to UZ Leuven, attn. chief medical officer prof. dr. Gert Van Assche and dead of department prof. dr. Anne Debeer, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
For more information about this position, please contact prof. dr. Anne Debeer, head of neonatology, via the department secretary at +32 16 343211 or anne.debeer@uzleuven.be.