Dr. Hans Skovgaard Poulsen (1949-2025)

Co-Director of DCCC Brain Tumor Center, Hans Skovgaard Poulsen, died in October 2025.

As a trained physician, he became deeply involved in cancer research, particularly in the fields of breast cancer and neuro-oncology, through appointments in Denmark and abroad. In 1993, he was appointed Senior Consultant and Head of the Radiobiology Laboratory and the Neuro-Oncology Unit at Rigshospitalet, where approximately half of all Danish patients with brain tumors are treated.

Hans Skovgaard Poulsen served as Co-Director of the DCCC Brain Tumor Center and held a number of prominent leadership positions within his field, including President of the Danish Association for Cancer Research and President of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO). He was also a co-founder of the Danish Cancer Research Foundation, the Danish Neuro-Oncology Group (DNOG), and the DCCC Brain Tumor Center.

Hans Skovgaard Poulsen made an invaluable contribution to the development of cancer care in Denmark. He was a pioneer in neuro-oncology and helped place the field on the international map through his extensive global network, his scientific talent, and his unwavering commitment to improving treatment for patients with brain cancer.

It has been a great privilege to have Hans as my supervisor, mentor, and colleague as a senior consultant at the Department of Oncology at Rigshospitalet, and most recently as co-director of the DCCC Brain Tumor Center. His professional insight, visionary approach, and tireless dedication to his patients have been an inspiration to generations of clinicians and researchers and have left a lasting imprint on Danish neuro-oncology.

Ulrik Lassen, Director of DCCC Brain Tumor Center