Blending Medical Expertise with Adventure
Kite Doctors is a community of sport-minded physicians who combine professional development with an active lifestyle, earning CME credits while enjoying world-class coastal destinations.
Our Mission
At Kite Doctors, our mission is to revolutionize continuing medical education (CME) by combining professional growth with adventure.
We strive to create an engaging and enriching experience where physicians can earn accredited CME credits while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, prioritizing well-being, and enjoying exhilarating water sports.
By blending medical expertise with an active lifestyle, we empower healthcare professionals to enhance their skills in a refreshing and inspiring environment.
Our Vision
We envision a global community of sport-minded physicians who embrace a balanced approach to education, professional networking, and personal well-being.
Through our unique CME programs, we aim to redefine medical learning by integrating innovation, adventure, and relaxation.
Our goal is to inspire doctors worldwide to cultivate a fulfilling career while maintaining a healthy, active, and connected lifestyle.
Meet the People Behind
Kite Doctors
Get to know the passionate minds driving Kite Doctors forward.
Niels Tinga
Psychiatrist and Chair of the Scientific Committee
Niels Tinga is a psychiatrist who has dedicated the past 14 years to treating personality disorders using mentalization-based treatment (MBT) in a cohesive treatment team.
He is also a trainer in this method, an educator, supervisor, and former board member of the Dutch Association for Group Dynamics and Group Therapy. Niels has extensive experience in providing continuing education, training, and team supervision within the medical field and beyond.
After 12 years with a large organization, Niels took a sabbatical last year and then started at AerreA, a small mental health institution focused on the medical profession. This aligns with his mission to raise awareness about mental suffering within this professional group and to enhance vitality through prevention.
In 2001, Niels was introduced to kitesurfing and was immediately hooked. Since then, kitesurfing has become his passion and a perfect counterbalance to his sedentary and intellectual work. The sport has connected him with other passionate colleagues and has formed and deepened friendships. He can most often be found at IJmuiden, Wijk aan Zee, or Bergen aan Zee and has visited many spots on multiple continents."
John van Stolk
Initiator and Organizer of Kite Doctors
Kite Doctors was developed by John van Stolk and was born from the idea that people who enjoy what they do achieve better results.
John, trained as a lawyer, made his mark in the corporate events industry both in the Netherlands and abroad, where he observed that success was primarily achieved in pleasant networking environments.
In his free time, John already organized trips related to his great passion: kitesurfing. This started as trips for friends and soon evolved into annual kitesurfing events for larger groups. Within these groups, there were also general practitioners and specialists, and the question quickly arose: how can we combine our shared passion for kitesurfing with our work as doctors?
Kite Doctors offers various multi-day (international) events combined with accredited continuing medical education (CME). Kite Doctors always seeks the ideal mix of relevant and current content, sport activities and networking.
Kite Doctors collaborates with IKO-certified kitesurfing schools to ensure there are good and safe lesson opportunities and options to rent quality kitesurfing equipment during the continuing education activities. In addition to kitesurfing lessons, Kite Doctors sometimes offers other activities such as surfing, mountain biking, and yoga
