Ivan Bautmans

At a glance

• Ivan Bautmans is a full professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he heads the Gerontology department and the Frailty & Resilience in Ageing (FRIA) research group.
• He trained as a physiotherapist and manual therapist and holds a PhD in medical sciences.
• His research focuses on muscle weakness (dynapenia) and muscle loss (sarcopenia) in older age, with particular attention to the role of chronic low-grade inflammation. He also studies how training can reduce that inflammation in older people.
• For his work on muscle fatigue in frail older adults he received, among other awards, the Marie-Thérèse De Lava Prize of the King Baudouin Foundation (2013).
• He is a founding board member of the Belgian Ageing Muscle Society, co-chair of the sarcopenia group of the European Geriatric Medicine Society, and leads a World Health Organization expert group on vitality within its Healthy Ageing framework.
• In 2024–2025 he held a Collen-Francqui Chair at KU Leuven.
• For longevity, his work matters because muscle strength is closely linked to independence in later life.
• Takeaway: strength training is worthwhile at any age; two sessions a week help preserve strength and everyday function.