University Hospital Leuven

University Hospitals Leuven (UZ Leuven) is a large academic hospital group in Belgium. It is linked to KU Leuven, one of Europe’s leading universities. The hospital operates across several campuses in and around Leuven, including Gasthuisberg, Pellenberg, and Sint-Rafaël. Together, these sites form one integrated university hospital with shared medical staff, training programs, and research activity. UZ Leuven is the largest hospital group in the country. It has a very high number of inpatients, day patients, and outpatients each year. Patients come from the Leuven region, from across Belgium, and from abroad. Many are referred for complex conditions or specialised procedures that require advanced expertise and equipment. The hospital covers almost all medical and surgical specialties. It offers adult and paediatric care, acute and chronic care, intensive care, rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up. Emergency and trauma services, large surgical blocks, organ transplantation, complex oncological treatments, cardiovascular procedures, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, maternal and neonatal care, and many other fields are represented. Some units act as national or international reference centres for specific diseases or technologies. All campuses are closely integrated with KU Leuven’s faculties of medicine and health sciences. Medical students, residents, and fellows in many disciplines receive their clinical training there. The same applies to nurses, midwives, and other health professionals. Teaching is embedded in daily clinical practice and is supported by simulation facilities, skills labs, and structured educational programs. Research is a central mission of UZ Leuven. Hospital departments work with university research groups in medicine, biomedical sciences, engineering, and related fields. There is a strong focus on translational and clinical research, innovation in diagnostics and treatment, and participation in international clinical trials. New drugs, devices, and care pathways are developed and tested in collaboration with academic and industry partners. This helps bring scientific progress to patients rapidly and safely. The physical infrastructure is spread across several campuses with different profiles. Gasthuisberg hosts the most acute and highly specialised services. Pellenberg has a strong focus on rehabilitation, orthopaedics, and musculoskeletal care. Sint-Rafaël and other facilities provide additional specialised units and outpatient services within the city. The hospital group continuously invests in renovations and new buildings, modern operating rooms, intensive care units, and diagnostic facilities, as well as in digital systems and electronic records to support care and research. Several features are seen as particular strengths of UZ Leuven. It combines comprehensive general hospital care with highly specialised tertiary referral services. It works with multidisciplinary teams that include different medical specialties, nurses, therapists, psychologists, and other professionals. Care pathways are organised around patient needs and complex diseases rather than single departments. Quality and patient safety are actively monitored through structured programs and external accreditation. The academic setting helps to attract experienced staff and supports a culture of continuous learning and innovation. In brief, UZ Leuven focuses on high-quality, complex, and multidisciplinary patient care across all its campuses. It aims to integrate clinical work, scientific research, and education into a single system. The hospital functions as a regional provider of care, a national and international reference centre for many conditions, and a training ground for future generations of healthcare professionals.