Barbara Willekens

Barbara Willekens, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium since November 2023. She obtained her PhD in Medical Sciences in 2021 from the University of Antwerp (BE), following translational and clinical research on tolerance-inducing dendritic cell–based (tolDC) therapy in multiple sclerosis, including an academic phase I clinical trial.

Dr. Willekens is a dedicated expert in multiple sclerosis and rare neuroimmunological diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), including NMOSD, MOGAD, and Susac syndrome. Since 2011, she leads the MS and CNS neuroimmunological disorders clinic at the Department of Neurology, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she teaches, mentors, and supervises residents, fellows, and students in medicine, biomedical sciences, and neurology, as well as PhD candidates. As Principal Investigator in multiple academic and industry-sponsored clinical trials (phases I–IV), she has extensive experience in the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials, as well as in managing international registries to generate real-world data. She holds leadership positions in national and international scientific societies. Dr Willekens is Co-chair of the Coordinating Panel of Neuroscience and Translational Neurology, and management group member of the Scientific Panel of Neuroimmunology of the European Academy of Neurology and is a member of the MSBase Scientific Leadership Group.

She is the founder of UNiCA (University Neuroimmunology Center Antwerp), a multidisciplinary care, research, and education center dedicated to MS and CNS neuroimmunological disorders. UNiCA integrates clinical and translational research, fostering a true bench-to-bedside-and-back approach.

Dr Willekens has a strong interest to bridge clinical care with translational science. She investigates immune-mediated disease mechanisms with an emphasis on biomarker development and validation for diagnosis, patient stratification, and therapeutic monitoring. In parallel, she advances novel cellular immunotherapies aimed at restoring immune tolerance, alongside regenerative strategies targeting remyelination and neuroprotection. To this end, she obtained several competitive research grants, including funding from Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and the National MS Society USA.  A strong advocate for patient and public involvement, Dr. Willekens integrates patient perspectives into both clinical and research activities.

Barbara Willekens’ overarching goal is to contribute to precision medicine approaches that not only control inflammation but also promote repair, thereby improving long-term outcomes and quality of life for individuals with neuroimmunological diseases.