The Faculty Club of... Ronald Bleys

In this column, our members tell something about themselves and why they are members of the Faculty Club. Ronald Bleys is a Professor of Clinical Anatomy at Utrecht University and a board member of the Faculty Club.

I already visited the Club regularly for meetings or dinners. Back when I became a member of the professors community Duodecim, I visited somewhat more often and I was eventually contacted by then Club Manager Noor van Haren. Because of the publicity over me winning the Outstanding Teacher Award 2012-2013, she had discovered that I played in a band. She asked if that would be something for the Faculty Club, in order to attract a somewhat younger audience. I laughed and answered that that didn't seem like a good idea; we play hard rock! A show wasn't in the cards, but contact was made and I became a member of the Faculty Club.

In 2015, I was asked for the board; I couldn't suspect at the time that I would be president 18 months later. I still have a lot of fun with all the contacts and we entered a captivating new phase with the later board changes.

An inspiring location for meetings, debates, reflection and exchange, with each other and with others.

What do you do in your daily life?

I'm a Professor of Anatomy at UMC Utrecht. I teach a lot, not just to medicine students and specialists in training, but I also contribute to refresher courses for specialists. Such as when people are practising new surgery techniques in our dissecting room. It's an interesting subject, among other things because we have access to bodies donated to science. Of course, I also do scientific research. Furthermore, I'm involved in the development of virtual 3D models for education and I have various management duties as a Department Manager.

Music is my biggest hobby. I listen to a lot of things (quite a broad taste, including hard rock of course), occasionally attend a concert and I've been playing in bands for decades. My current band is called Maida Vale, named after a neighbourhood in London with a rich musical history. I briefly lived there once, during my PhD research. That is currently on hold too due to the pandemic.

What is your most fun memory of the Faculty Club?

The most recent lustrum party, when we existed for 20 years. It's fantastic what the Programme Commission could arrange for that, including the Bierkeller in the former bicycle cellar and a rock band in the Senaatszaal!

What are you looking forward to the most?

The Faculty Club is an inspiring location for meetings, debates, reflection and exchange, with each other and with others. The short period in which we were open during the previous year shows how precious the club is to us. I look forward to being open again and not being restricted in any way by corona-related measures.

Do you have any suggestions for activities for the Faculty Club?

Maybe a show by my band after all? Just kidding!