Steve Coppens

Belgium

Dr. Steve Coppens obtained his medical degree at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium in 1996. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology in 2001 at the University Hospitals of Leuven. He worked from 2001 until 2008 in private practice and developed his skills for regional anesthesia. From 2008 up to 2012 he worked in a level one trauma center in the Netherlands, where his main focus was on developing locoregional standards and enhancing ultrasound skills.

He was appointed member of staff in 2013 at the department of Anesthesiology of the University Hospitals in Leuven, Belgium. He was asked to focus clinically on regional anesthesia. He also was asked to develop a teaching program for residents in regional anesthesia.

Since 2013 he has been clinical director of regional anesthesia and was appointed associate head of clinic. He implemented a newly developed locoregional learning program in Leuven and was instrumental in developing the regional anesthesia fellowship program.

He has given several lectures at ESRA, BSAR and BARA meetings. He has served as demonstrator in various hands-on workshops and is since 2014 coordinator of an ESRA annual meeting workshop directed to teach anesthesiologists in a four hour duration workshops all basic blocks they need to know. He is member of the ESRA Annual Meeting Scientific Committee.

His primary clinical interest focuses on regional and trauma anesthesia as well as developing a regional pediatric program and also some thoracic anesthesia. He is currently working on a European funded project developing and eventually testing a novel simulation system for training of regional anesthesia, and more specifically peripheral nerve blocks (RASIMAS, http://www.rasimas.eu ). He is currently also working in the PROSPECT group as a temporary member updating the hernioraphy review and is busy conducting research in regional anesthesia, especially in continuous versus single shot regional techniques. (http://www.postoppain.org/)

ESRA Council member