Kris Vanhaecht

Kris Vanhaecht is associate professor in Quality Management at KULeuven and has been working since 1998 in the field of care process improvement and quality control. Kris became Doctor in Public Health at Leuven University in 2007. He leads research projects in the field of quality improvement and patient safety with a special interest in care process organization, person-centered care and the respectful management of clinicians & managers after patient safety incidents. He holds 3 research chairs at Leuven University: 1) Future of Hospital Quality (Zorgnet Icuro), 2) Sustainability of Quality Management (St Trudo Hospital) 3) Using Administrative data to enhance Quality (3M) and holds the Mangomoment Research Fund on person centered care.

His newest research line is the impact on patients and healthcare workers of positive events during care activities. This Mangomoment research line started one evening as a strange idea, was later launched as a study, we took an international trademark on the concept, and a media campaign in 2018 made it an inspiring movement to enhance patient centered care. His Lancet Oncology perspective launched Mangomoment on international and academic level. In 2019 he published the Dutch version of a book and in Februari 2020 the updated English version will be available.

Kris is coordinator of the research line on quality & patient safety of the new KULeuven Institute for Healthcare Policy (Leuvens Instituut voor Gezondheidszorgbeleid – LIGB). If you are interested in his academic track, just take a look at is ORCID page or take a look at the overview of is publications.

On international level he is faculty member and improvement advisor at the IHI in Boston and Quality Expert for the ISQUA. He is nowadays the Secretary General of the European Pathway Association and is international coordinator of international studies on care pathways for COPD, Hip Fracture, Acute Coronary Syndrome and Gastro-Intestinal Cancer patients.

He is part time academic policy advisor to the management team & department of quality of Leuven University Hospitals and part time collaborating with Dutch hospitals on quality, safety and leadership development.