UMCU
Heidelberglaan 100
The Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht (University Medical Centre or UMC) is one of the largest public healthcare institutions in the Netherlands — You are surrounded by the buildings of a colourful organisation that came into existence in 1999 after the Faculty of Medicine of Utrecht University, the Academisch Ziekenhuis Utrecht (University Hospital Utrecht) and the Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis (Wilhelmina Childrens’ Hospital or WKZ) merged.
Nowadays, the Netherlands is home to a system of university medical centres where teaching, research and patient care go hand-in-hand. In previous centuries, this was not to be taken for granted.
Up until the mid-19th century, healthcare, teaching and research did not have much to do with one another. The cities’ hospices took care of the poor, and the University was exclusively meant for teaching. Research was something for the very zealous and a bit later on for academic groups. It was not until the late 19th century, that the three disciplines started to overlap.
