About moon landings and building bridges

Moon landings

Big, ambitious goals that initially seem unattainable, but can eventually become achieveable through innovation and collaboration – these are known as moonshots. For Barend Mees, it is precisely these goals and dreams that challenge him. His biggest dream? "One of my mentors once said, 'Our ultimate ambition in research is to make our own profession redundant.' That idea has always stayed with me," he says. "In a perfect world, people would not need surgical care." Will that ever happen? It still seems quite distant, but was that not also what people thought about landing on the moon before Armstrong achieved it in 1969? This, after all, explains the origin of the term ‘moonshot’.

Through his professorship, Mees is committed to advancing vascular regenerative medicine, which can repair damaged tissue at the cellular level. He combines this with clinical innovations, such as personalised stents that are custom-made for patients, making treatment more sustainable and improving quality of life.

Passion for precision

Speaking of dreams: becoming a vascular surgeon was not a childhood dream for him. With a grandfather as a general practitioner, however, there was definitely something in his genes, and the decision to pursue medicine after secondary school came quickly. “During my studies, I was not particularly interested in blood vessels, until I became involved in vascular research in the lab as a graduating student. It turned out to be a world where I felt at home,” he explains. “It was pure cell biology, combined with the human side of surgery. That really drew me in. Surgery suits me. It is still, to some extent, craftsmanship, and I love precision work. Repairing blood vessels, from the toes to the crown, fits perfectly with that.”

As a surgeon, Mees now combines several roles: he performs surgery, conducts research, teaches, and works in the outpatient clinic. “I love the versatility,” he says. “One day I am in the operating room, the next day is filled with patient appointments, and the day after that I am teaching or working on developing new techniques. It is fantastic!” The patients themselves are also a significant motivation. “Often, they are older people who have already lived a full life,” he explains. “They are often incredibly grateful, even though it is not always possible to fully cure them. That human aspect is what makes this profession so special.”

From Australia to Maastricht

Before Barend Mees found his home in Maastricht, he gained international experience in places such as Italy and Australia. “Australia was a wonderful time, but as a family, we wanted to return to the Netherlands because of the European way of life,” he explains. “I did not really know Maastricht, but when I heard about the aorta programme at MUMC+, I was immediately excited, and I knew I wanted to work there. At that time, the programme was unique in the Netherlands due to the intensive collaboration of all the specialisms involved in aortic care, brought together under one roof at the Heart and Vascular Centre.”

He now feels completely at home in Maastricht and at Maastricht UMC+, where the combination of a strong clinical focus and access to advanced technology provides an ideal environment for both patient care and innovation. “Here, we can make an impact locally while also playing a leading role internationally,” he says.

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Innovation and human care go hand in hand

The core of Mees' work revolves around repair and regeneration. “Repair means restoring or replacing damaged blood vessels, such as in the case of an aneurysm. Regeneration goes a step further: we use techniques like gene therapies to help tissue damage repair itself at the cellular level,” he explains.

However, innovation is not just about technology. For Mees, the human aspect is just as central, especially in palliative care. “With vascular disease in the palliative phase, it is not just about medical solutions, but also about what the patient truly wants. Making clear agreements and focusing on quality of life can make a huge difference,” he says. Recently, his team received a grant to better map what patients in the palliative phase need. “Palliative care is often associated with the end of life, but that is a misconception. It often involves people who can live in this phase for some time. It is also our job to guide them as best as we can during that time.”

Connecting role

Although the title of his inaugural lecture may sound technical, the word ‘bridging’ is the core of his work, according to Mees. “I want to play a connecting role, both nationally and internationally,” he explains. This was also the idea behind a special meeting he organised on the Friday before his inauguration. Rather than hosting a symposium, he invited all sixteen other vascular surgeon professors in the Netherlands to come together. “We have never had a meeting like this before. It was an opportunity to exchange ideas and thoughts, and to make plans for the future together,” he says. It was also an important meeting for one of his other dreams: the national consortium Aneurysm-NL, of which he is one of the leaders. This consortium aims to create a national platform and collaboration to centralise care and knowledge in the field of aneurysms. “We can achieve so much more if we combine our strengths.”

Training the new generation

Mees also builds bridges between generations. As a trainer of young surgeons at Maastricht University, he is weekly engaged with surgical trainees, preparing them for the challenges of the future. “The new generation must not only be technically skilled, but also able to think flexibly and innovatively,” he says. His work as a trainer even extends into his own garage at home. There, he came up with and developed the mazeBox, a device designed to train endovascular techniques and surgeries. “It is a kind of simulator, but analogue, without software, which makes it very practical and accessible.”

Barend Mees looks to the future with optimism. “Vascular surgery is a fantastic field, with lots of new technology. With more intensive collaboration and innovations in both clinical and research areas, we must take important steps in improving the outcomes of our interventions, and thereby the quality of life for our patients.” His inaugural lecture promises an insight into the latest developments in vascular surgery, but above all, an inspiring story about how ambition and connection can bring us closer to better healthcare.

This article was previously published on the Maastricht UMC+ website.

Photos: Maison Rowena

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