- Emergency Physician, AZ Sint-Maarten, Belgium
- Head of the Emergency Department, AZ Sint-Maarten, Belgium
What I like best about IEDLI is getting to know ED people from all over the world. You can learn so much from each other. Everyone faces the same problems and you learn new solutions. It also contains many practical operational tips. It makes you stronger as a leader. You’re part of a community.
Dr. Karolina Kindt
Dr. Karolina Kindt is head of the Emergency Department at the AZ Sint-Maarten Hospital in Mechelen, Belgium. She has had this role since 2009.
Dr. Kindt graduated as a medical doctor in 1998 at the University of Leuven in Belgium. She earned a Master’s degree in Family Medicine in 2000, a Master’s degree in Tropical Medicine in 2001 at Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, and a Master’s degree in Mass Casualty and Disaster Management in 2003 at the University of Leuven. Dr. Kindt received her Master’s degree in Emergency Medicine in 2009 and a master’s degree in Health Policy and Hospital Management in 2017.
Dr. Kindt is a member of the board of IEDLI. She is also a member of the Belgian Society of Emergency and Disaster Medicine (BeSEDiM) and the European Society For Emergency Medicine (EUSEUM).
Educational Experience
Dr. Kindt has been an Advanced Pediatric Life Support (APLS) instructor since 2006, with a special interest in managing traumatic and non-traumatic children’s care at the ED and communication with children and parents in all circumstances.
Since 2019, Dr. Kindt has run the Training Program of University Residents in Emergency Medicine (the University of Leuven and University of Antwerp) in Mechelen.
Dr. Kindt is a mentor in the IEDLI CEDE Certification Course.
Leadership Experience
In October 2019, the AZ Sint-Maarten Hospital integrated its 3 sites into a single new building, merging two completely different working ED’s into a new single Emergency Department. This once-in-a-lifetime experience was a great challenge and demonstrated the importance of strong leadership. With a new organization model introduced in the new ED, many changes had to be implemented in a short time.
In 2020, Dr. Kindt coordinated the COVID Crisis in the ED. Since the beginning of 2021, she has implemented two programs in the ED: ‘Fair Care for Children throughout the Hospital’ and ‘The Specific Care for Elderly People in the ED’.
Special Interests
Dr. Kindt’s special interests are team management, change management, how to keep a healthy work-life balance in a team, children in the ED, communication skills, interdisciplinary collaboration, and supervising trainees.