Max JH Witjes is appointed full professor in Head & Neck oncology at the department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of the University Medical Center of Groningen the Netherlands. He obtained his medical and dental degree at the University Medical Center of Groningen. During his studies he worked as a research assistant at the department of Biomaterials in Groningen as well as the department of Biomaterials, University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA). In 1997 he obtained his PhD (cum laude) on the subject of “Photodynamic therapy and fluorescence localisation of experimental oral dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma” which was completed partially at the Erasmus Medical Centre of Rotterdam.

Next to his daily practice in H&N oncology he has a specific interest in developing optimal functional reconstruction of craniofacial defects using 3D virtual planning techniques. He has pioneered and published on the advanced 3D planning of the reconstruction of craniofacial defects. He is PI on multiple clinical studies and supervises a group of PhD students, He has integrated 3D virtual planning in the daily clinical work and initiated the start of the UMCG wide 3D lab which he now manages.
He is councilor of the International Association of Oral Oncology, member of the committee for revision of the Dutch guidelines for head and neck tumors, member of the Research steering committee of the Dutch Head and Neck Society (NWHHT) and member of the grant review committee Research & Implementation of the Dutch Cancer Society