The establishment of Maastricht University’s medical faculty is deeply connected to the transformation of St. Annadal Hospital into an academic medical center. This shift was the cornerstone of healthcare innovation in Limburg, blending education, research, and patient care in ways that would shape the future of medical education in the region.
The first steps toward this academic transition were taken in 1979, when a temporary laboratory was set up behind St. Annadal Hospital. This small space would later evolve into the Biomedisch Centrum (Biomedical Center), which officially opened in 1981. The opening was performed by Sjeng Kremers, then Commissioner of the Queen in Limburg, who had long advocated for the realisation of an academic hospital in the region (Maastricht UMC+, n.d.-a). The center played a key role in establishing Maastricht’s position in medical research and education. However, this was only the beginning of a much larger transformation.
Sjeng Kremers opens the new Biomedical Centre in Maastricht in 1981 (Maastricht UMC+, n.d.-a).
In 1982, the Zusters onder de Bogen, the nuns who had run the hospital for many years, stepped down, marking the start of a new era for the institution. The departure of the nuns set the stage for the hospital’s transformation into a place of academic excellence. In 1984, construction began on a new academic hospital in the Randwijk area of Maastricht. This modern facility would not only house advanced healthcare services but also provide a place for cutting-edge medical research.
By 1986, the hospital’s transformation was complete, and it was officially renamed the Academic Hospital Maastricht (azM). The hospital’s focus expanded to include specialties like cardiology, nephrology, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and neonatal care, quickly earning national recognition for its groundbreaking contributions to medical knowledge and healthcare practice.
Logo of the academic hospital in 1986 (Maastricht UMC+, n.d.-a).
The partnership between the university and hospital created an environment where students engaged with both research and clinical practice. This collaboration was formalized in 2008 with the creation of Maastricht UMC+, merging the medical faculty and academic hospital to advance healthcare innovation and solidify Maastricht as a center for medical excellence (Maastricht UMC+, n.d.-a).