Maxime Kummeling appointed professor

Importance of functional complaints and quality of life

Kummeling wants to teach students and doctors in training not only the technical and clinical aspects of urology, but also to emphasize the importance of functional complaints and quality of life. Kumnmeling: “This requires a multidisciplinary approach with cooperation between urologists, pelvic physiotherapists and other specialties that operate (literally and figuratively) in the small pelvis such as surgeons, gynecologists and radiotherapy.”

Her research focus is also on functional urology, with research on the effects of urological treatments on quality of life. “This includes incontinence and erectile dysfunction, complaints that are often under-reported in a consultation and not always dared to be reported by patients. Not everything can always be solved, but there are opportunities to improve complaints or provide people with appropriate tools,” Kummeling says. She is also conducting research in collaboration with other hospitals in the region on functional consequences of endoscopic treatment of stones in the ureter. 

Gender differences in incontinence care

Moreover, Kummeling has a special interest in gender differences in incontinence care: “The care of women with severe forms of exertional incontinence lags behind how it is organized for men.” With her chair, Kummeling wants to contribute to reducing these differences. For this effort, she has been awarded the VNVA's Corrie Hermann Prize 2024. It will be awarded on March 15, 2025.

Curriculum vitae

Maxime Kummeling studied Medicine in Groningen, and completed her residency and doctor's exam in Leiden in 2002. She completed her Urology training in Rotterdam. She then started working as a urologist at the Haaglanden Medical Center (HMC), where she obtained her PhD as an external PhD student in Leiden on the role of the urethra in overactive bladder complaints in women. Within HMC, she was a member for many years and, for the last two years, also chairman of the emergency committee. After working as a urologist at HMC for twelve years, Kummeling started as the second female head of the Urology Department at LUMC last year. She is also now the second female professor of Urology in the Netherlands.