Our team

Willem Pondaag MD PhD

Director

Dr. Pondaag is a neurosurgeon and is specialized in nerve surgery (including brachial plexus injuries) and complex spine surgery. He did a three-month fellowship at the 'Institut de la Main' in Paris with Prof. A.Gilbert, specialized in the surgical treatment of brachial plexus injuries in children. In 2012 he obtained his PhD with the thesis "Obstetric Brachial Plexus Lesions - a framework for therapy". He is a board member of the Peripheral Nerve section of the EANS.

Prof Martijn Malessy MD PhD

Prof. Dr. Malessy is the founder of the Leiden NerveCenter. He was appointed Professor of Neurosurgery on 1 January 2011. He is involved in scientific research on nerve regeneration and pain. He founded the PainLess Foundation, which develops innovative technologies for pain relief. He is a former president of the

Justus Groen MD PhD

Dr Groen is a neurosurgeon with a focus on reconstructive nerve surgery, tumour surgery and nerve surgery for pain.

Prof Rob Nelissen MD PhD

Prof. Dr. Nelissen trained as an orthopedic surgeon at the LUMC in Leiden and also obtained his PhD here, focusing on the fundamental aspects of clinical evaluation after total joint arthroplasties. He is professor of orthopedics and, since 2006, also head of the department of orthopedics at the LUMC. He is a Medical Delta Professor, affiliated with TU Delft (department of Biomechanical Engineering). His areas of interest are rheumatic surgery and peripheral nerve injury.

Jochem Nagels MD PhD

Dr. J. Nagels is an orthopedic surgeon with a focus on  secondary surgery for peripheral nerve injuries in children and adults.

Paul Dekker MD

Dr. Dekker is a rehabilitation specialist with special focus on

diabetic foot, amputation and prosthetics, brachial plexus injury and peripheral nerve disorders, orthopedic rehabilitation and general hospital rehabilitation medicine. In addition to his work as a rehabilitation physician, he is chairman of the wound and decubitus committee at the Leiden University Medical Center.

Sonja Buitenhuis

Mrs Buitenhuis is a peadiatric physicial therapist specialised in obstetric brachial plexus lesions.

Martijn Tannemaat MD PhD

Dr. M.R. Tannemaat works as a neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist at the LUMC. As a clinical neurophysiologist, his responsibilities include performing diagnostic tests on people with neurological disorders. As a neurologist, Dr. Tannemaat specializes in neuromuscular diseases, in particular Myasthenia Gravis.

Pieter Verduijn MD PhD

Dr. Verduijn works as a plastic surgeon at the LUMC and is specilized in free muscle transfers.