‘Noblesse oblige’

‘Now that two have become one, the question remains: who and what are we, what are our values, and what do we want to be known for? Of course we want to lead the field in the quality of care we provide, but is that our identity?

An organisation as large as Amsterdam UMC has a central role to play in optimising care in the region. People have to see what we do, and we have to put our vision into practice. We have a sense that ‘noblesse oblige’: as a large UMC, we should be represented in society when it comes to important issues like the shift from curative care to prevention and the debate around centralising and diffusing care. It’s all about information, communication and managing expectations.’

- Donald van der Peet, Chair, on behalf of the Academic Staff Assembly (Stafconvent)

‘As a large UMC, you have the capacity to do research and to strengthen the argument for what works and what doesn’t, both in tertiary care and around the themes in the Integrated Care Agreement (IZA) and digital care. And you can maintain good communication links with the ministry and with health insurance providers.’

- Ivo van Schaik, Chair of the Executive Board, Sanquin blood bank

‘With the merger and lateralisation, in recent years Amsterdam UMC’s focus has been more inward looking. Now you have more time to look outward, and it’s important to talk to the direct stakeholders in the patient’s care and ask how Amsterdam UMC can support them.’
- Georgette Fijneman, Chair of the Executive Board, Zilveren Kruis insurance provider

‘The merger took up a lot of time and energy. But now it’s time to “unbatten the hatches” and make choices about the role you want to play in the region. You’re going to have to make clearer choices and put them into practice.’
- Douwe Biesma, Chair of the Board of Directors, LUMC

‘Our thought leaders should convert research-based and practical insights around prevention into partnerships with primary care providers and civil society. And they should share those insights with the public.’
- Kevin van den Berg, Young Amsterdam UMC

‘Amsterdam UMC is an “anchor partner”: a permanent fixture charged with promoting innovation and inspiring other partners to join them. You could be doing more of that: be more outward looking. Embrace your responsibility to organise open innovation around some big social issues, around healthcare as an ecosystem, together with partners such as research institutes and businesses. Collaborate with a range of partners in the region, not just with secondary care providers, and take on a coordinating role in health promotion.’
- Geleyn Meijer, Rector, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS)

‘Many challenges in society have a health-related element: digitisation, sustainability, inclusion. Digitisation involves both medical information technology and mental health; sustainability is closely connected to nutrition and how that nutrition can be both healthy and sustainable; inclusiveness is strongly linked to local and global care inequalities, etc.

If you work on these big issues, preferably with important partners as in your existing collaboration with Wageningen University & Research, Amsterdam UMC can do even more to help resolve the challenges society faces.’
- Peter-Paul Verbeek, Rector Magnificus, University of Amsterdam

The visions for Amsterdam UMC reveal a common theme: previously, our merger demanded that we turn our energy and attention inward, but now it’s time to look beyond our own organisation. ‘Time to “unbatten the hatches” and make choices about the role you want to play in the region.’ In other words: ‘Don’t restrict yourself to your Amsterdam bubble. You have a responsibility to the whole country.’