Tom Oostrom - Patient advocate

Drs. Tom Oostrom (1964) has been Managing Director of the Dutch Kidney Foundation since 2010. He started as head of the policy section in 2005. With the motto "Life comes first" the Kidney Foundation gives everything to make sure kidney patients survive ánd their quality of life improves. Tom Oostrom learned from practice: he started out as a nurse. His drive is to make a real difference for kidney patients, to help make their lives livable.

Since 2012 Oostrom has been the chair of the cooperating healthcare funds (Samenwerkende Gezondheidsfondsen) in which 21 large funds are united. He is also a member of the Regiegroep Life Sciences & Health and is committed to promote active involvement of healthcare funds in the topsector policy. In Leiden Oostrom studied to become a nurse (1986). He studied Policy & Management in Healthcare at Erasmus University Rotterdam (1991).