Dr Robert Leach is an emergency medicine specialist trained in Belgium. He is currently the Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine in the Centre Hospitalier de Wallonnie Picarde (CHwapi) in Tournai, Belgium. He is also chief of the pre-hospital team (SMUR), as well as coordinator for the nurse-staffed ambulance (PIT). CHwapi is the only supra-regional trauma center between Brussels and the French Border. He is president of the Medical Pharmaceutical Committee at CHwapi and a member of the Medical Council. He has served as Vice-President of the European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) for two terms before being elected President. He was also Chair of the Professional Committee of EUSEM. He is a member of the Royal Commission for Specialist Recognition in Emergency Medicine (EM). He is on the Scientific Commission at the Medical School at The Université Libre de Bruxelles, sits on the selection jury for EM candidates, is an examiner for the EM specialist exit exam, and is on the board of the EM College at ULB and teach clinically. He has published numerous papers on various subjects in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care and he is a reviewer for papers submitted for publication. He is a joint author of the European Guidelines for pain management in the Emergency Department. He has been invited to speak at numerous international conferences on EM and numerous times at the European Parliament. He is, for numerous years, the Belgian representative to UEMS. He was named by Royal Decree as a national Medical Director, who is responsible for the organization of patient care in a mass casualty incident. Also, by Royal Decree, he is a member of the High Council of Medicine in Belgium. He sits on the Federal Council of Emergency Medical Assistance (CFSMU) and on the executive board of the Provincial Commission for Emergency Medical Aide (CoAMU).