Erasmus University Medical Center

Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) in Rotterdam is the largest university hospital in the Netherlands and the academic hospital of Erasmus University Rotterdam. It is located at Dr. Molewaterplein 40 in the city center and functions as a fully integrated complex that brings together patient care, biomedical research, and medical education on a single campus. The center has more than 1,200 beds, including over 120 intensive care beds. It acts as a level-1 trauma center with an emergency department, regional ambulance reception, and a helipad for air ambulance transfer. Clinically, Erasmus MC is organized as a "medical city" composed of thematic clusters that group departments and clinics around patient pathways such as oncology, cardiovascular care, acute care, mother-and-child care, and brain and nervous system disorders. These clusters are laid out around large atriums and a central internal street so that outpatient clinics, imaging, day-care treatment units, nursing wards, and operating rooms for a given theme are as close together as possible. This configuration is designed to support efficient multidisciplinary care, simplify patient orientation, and embody a healing environment with daylight, greenery, and visible connections to the city. The main adult hospital offers a wide range of specialties, including cardiology, surgery, pulmonology, nephrology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, genetics, neurology, orthopedics, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, psychiatry, and emergency medicine. Each department has outpatient clinics that connect to imaging and laboratory services. The Thoraxcenter is a key part of the hospital, combining cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. It provides advanced care for heart diseases and related conditions. The center includes catheterization labs, hybrid operating rooms, and a specialized cardiac intensive care unit, all near outpatient clinics and recovery areas. Oncology is based at the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, which grew from the Rotterdam Radiotherapy Institute and the Daniël den Hoed Cancer Center. The institute includes all cancer clinics and inpatient units like surgical oncology, medical oncology, hematology, and radiotherapy. Special teams focus on specific cancers such as breast, gastrointestinal, and pediatric cancers. The cancer clinics are connected to research and clinical trials, highlighting their commitment to personalized cancer care. Transplantation medicine is a key aspect of Erasmus MC's clinical profile, offering kidney, liver, lung, and heart transplants, as well as hematopoietic stem cell transplants. The center features specialized pre-transplant evaluation clinics, surgery programs, and long-term follow-up for both adult and pediatric recipients. Supported by immunology and tissue-typing labs, experienced ICUs, and a multidisciplinary team, the focus is on improving graft survival, minimizing complications, and expanding access through innovations in organ preservation and perioperative management. Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital is the oldest and largest children's hospital in the Netherlands, providing tertiary and quaternary care for complex and rare diseases across all pediatric subspecialties. The hospital serves as a national referral center for critically ill children and features extensive neonatal and pediatric care units. It is organized into four key areas: the Pediatric Thorax Center, Children's Brain Center, Mother and Child Center, and Center for Rare Disorders, each offering integrated outpatient care, inpatient wards, diagnostics, and specialized health support. Erasmus MC functions as a university medical center. Each clinic offers training programs for medical students, residents, fellows, and other health professionals, as well as active research groups. Outpatient clinics and wards often host clinical trials and cohort studies. The hospital is a leading European center for epidemiological research in oncology, cardiology, and public health. These integrated clinics serve as care units for complex conditions and as platforms for developing new diagnostics, therapies, and care pathways.