Bridging the Gap: Intergenerational Perspectives with Prof. Dr. Dorien Zwart An Interview with the President of EQuiP on Quality, Mentorship, and Safe

Published on 8 April 2026.

 

As the 68th EQuiP Conference in Kraków (May 2026) approaches, the focus is firmly on the "Heart of Primary Care." In this exclusive feature, Prof. Dr. Dorien Zwart—President of EQuiP and Professor of Family Medicine at UMC Utrecht—discusses the evolving landscape of quality, the power of "twinning," and why physician well-being is the ultimate safety mechanism for patient care.

 

The Identity of EQuiP: Excellence in Every Consultation

For those who may be less familiar with your work, what are the core values or unique contributions our readers should know about EQuiP’s role in European General Practice today?

Prof. Dr. Dorien Zwart: EQuiP is an association of GPs who are interested in optimizing quality of GP/FM care. Quality of care is of the utmost importance; it encompasses a concept that involves striking the right balance in our daily work between patient-centeredness, safety, timeliness, as well as effectiveness, efficiency, and equity.

Optimizing this balance is the essence of good clinical decision-making and our daily challenge. EQuiP strives to both boost the academic dialogue on the challenges of good quality of GP care, as well as to disseminate practical knowledge and available tools for GPs.

The "Kraków Call": Bridging the Gap

With so many events on the medical calendar, why is it essential for a frontline GP to attend the EQuiP 2026 Conference specifically?

DZ: First, every EQuiP conference provides an excellent opportunity to reflect deeply on the quality of our daily practice. Colleagues present share an incredibly broad work-experience and background, as well as a special interest in optimally bridging the gap between ‘work as imagined’ versus ‘work as done’, which refers to actual practicing in our GP practices.

Together we research, learn, educate, and share knowledge aimed at achieving the best possible everyday work-scenario for any healthcare context in Europe. This time, the focus is on the well-being of our professionals—an important topic, because without the well-being of our workers in GP care, optimal quality of care is simply not possible.

Sharing the Big Stage: The Power of "Twinning"

You are sharing your keynote with the winner of the Young Family Doctors Keynote Concept Competition. What does this collaboration signal to the European GP community about the evolution of leadership and the "voice" of the next generation within EQuiP?

DZ: I am delighted to give this joint presentation alongside one of our young family doctors. It is incredibly important that we continue to develop and innovate our profession, to remain true to the purpose and core values of general practice/family medicine.  

At the same time, it is crucial that we continue to adapt our line of work to changes in society and the evolving patient population, as well as to the needs and competencies of our successors’ generation. How do they want to practice as a GP? What do they need to be able to provide the best possible GP-care? I find it particularly enjoyable and interesting to assess these kinds of scenarios together. 

Your session title mentions "Professional Safety." How does a robust mentorship culture between generations serve as a safety mechanism—both for the doctor’s mental health and for the clinical safety of the patient?

DZ: Clinical experience is still invaluable in healthcare; it’s worth its weight in gold when it comes to safe and effective patient care. Therefore, experienced GPs indeed are obliged to share their knowledge with their younger colleagues. Both in training interns and GP-trainees, as well as in collegial setting.  Having said so, I also believe the fresh perspective of a young and recently 'state-of-the-art educated' graduate is just as important. I would prefer to call it “twinning”—forming a partnership—rather than mentorship. It involves a direct collaborative relationship of a young physician with a senior physician that can be particularly beneficial for both sides. Consider, for example, digitalization and how much senior doctors can learn from younger colleagues in this respect!

Learning from the "New Voices"

In your experience at UMC Utrecht and through your work with EQuiP, what is the most significant "quality" lesson that established GPs can learn from the new generation entering the workforce today?

DZ: “Digital natives” approach work differently these days. The younger generation also values doing a good job, without having to fully identify themselves with the work itself. This may be a difference between generations that also provides opportunities for both to learn from each other and grow further into the future of family medicine, re-writing but also maintaining its core values together.

 

Keynote Speaker Profile: Prof. Dr. Dorien Zwart

Prof. Dr. Dorien Zwart is a distinguished leader in European primary care, balancing high-level academic research with active clinical practice as a Family Physician.

  • Current Leadership: President of the EQuiP Network and Head of the Department of General Practice & Nursing at UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands.

  • Key Milestones: Keynote Speaker at WONCA Europe 2024 (Dublin) and Past President of the Host Organizing Committee for WONCA Europe 2021 Amsterdam.

  • Research Focus: The quality and safety of innovation in general practice, bridging the gap between academic theory and frontline reality.

 

Featured Keynote Sessions: EQuiP Kraków 2026

Conference Theme: Strengthening the Heart of Primary Care: Well-being and Resilience in Family Physicians

  • Keynote Session 1 | Digital Ally or Digital Burden? Exploring the Role of AI

    • Ulrik Bak Kirk (Denmark)

  • Keynote Session 2 | Resilience and Safety in Practice: A Dual Perspective

    • Delivering Safe Care in Extraordinary Times — Dr. Anastasiya Spasibo (Ukraine)

    • Lessons from the Health & Wellbeing Programme — Dr. Andrée Rochfort (Ireland)

    • This powerful combined session explores maintaining patient safety under the extreme pressures of conflict alongside evidence-based strategies for sustaining the medical workforce.

  • Keynote Session 3 | Bridging the Gap: Intergenerational Perspectives on Quality, Mentorship, and Professional Safety

    • Prof. Dr. Dorien Zwart (Netherlands) & Dr. Sıdıka Ece Yokuş (Turkey)

 

Conference Details & Registration

While the deadline for abstract submission has now passed, registration remains open for those wishing to attend this pivotal dialogue in the heart of Kraków.

 

Prof. Zwart's Reading Tip: I have just finished reading ‘Oroppa’, written by Safae el Khannoussi. It depicts the complex lives of migrants in various European countries, including the Netherlands. I found it very interesting to read about the writer’s perspective of the development of family history and would definitely recommend this book.