Ruud van der Pol attended the UMC Utrecht to become an ophthalmologist. Since 2000 he has beenworking as a general ophthalmologist and eye surgeon at the Alrijne Hospital in Leiderdorp / Leiden / Alphen a/d Rijn.After the recognition as a peripheral training centre for ophthalmologists in 2007 he was the chief trainer for 7 years. Until early 2016 he was chairman of the Central Training Committee.Since 2004 he has been working as a refractive surgeon at Rijnzicht Oogkliniek at Wassenaar.He was a member of the plenary visitation committee of the Dutch Ophthalmological Society until March 2015 and has worked several times as an ophthalmologist in the low/middle income countries.Education is becoming more important, not only in developing countries, but also to students, residents and consultants through the Boerhaave instituut in Leiden and to general practitioners and ophthalmological staff through the EyeCareAcademy. In March 2016 he joined the Board of the Medical Staff Association of the Alrijne Hospital and is reposible for the Quality and safety of patientcare. From March 2019 till 2022 he was the chairman of the Medical Staff Association of the Alrijne Hospital.