Erasmus MC

Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, affiliated with Erasmus University and home to its faculty of medicine, is the "largest and one of the most authoritative scientific University Medical Centers in Europe." Furthermore, the hospital is the largest of the eight university medical centers in the Netherlands, both in terms of turnover and number of beds. The Erasmus MC ranks #1 of the top European institution in clinical medicine and #20 in the world according to the Times Higher Education rankings.
Structure.
The hospital has three locations:
Special units include:
The main location of Erasmus MC is located next to the Museumpark.
History.
The history of Erasmus MC goes back to the municipal Coolsingel Hospital (Coolsingelziekenhuis), which was built in the period 1839 - 1848 by design of city architect (1801-1877). Due to delays during construction, the hospital could not be used until 1851. The building was at the corner of the and the Coolsingel (near current Lijnbaan) in Rotterdam and had an imposing facade with a width of eighty-two meters. The first hospital director was Dr. Jan Bastiaan Molewater (1813-1864), who was also a lecturer at the Clinical School that was opened in Rotterdam in 1828. The hospital was largely destroyed during the German bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe in 1940. Only the , the former gate to the hospital, now reminds of this hospital at the Lijnbaan.
After a long period of temporary provisions, the new (Dijkzigtziekenhuis) could finally be used in 1961 at the location where the Erasmus MC is now located. The Dijkzigt Hospital was named after on the enormous estate called , which was the home of the Dutch shipowner's family . In 1924, this land was sold to the Rotterdam municipality and on which since today the Natural History Museum Rotterdam is housed.
The Foundation for Clinical Higher Education in Rotterdam (Stichting Klinisch Hoger Onderwijs in Rotterdam), founded in 1950, was designated by the Dutch government in 1965 to become one of the seven major medical training centers in the Netherlands. In 1966, this new medical training center was opened at the with 160 medical students. The Dijkzig Hospital became its corresponding academic hospital.
In 1970, the Dijkzigt Hospital merged with the (Sophia Kinderziekenhuis) into the Academic Hospital Rotterdam (Academisch Ziekenhuis Rotterdam). In 1973, the medical training center of Rotterdam became part of the Erasmus University Rotterdam (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam), designated as Faculty of Medicine and Health Science (Faculteit der Geneeskunde en Gezondheidswetenschappen), and moved to the complex of the Dijkzigt Hospital. In 1993 the Sophia Children's Hospital also moved to this location. In the same year, also the (Daniel den Hoedkliniek) - a main Dutch oncology center named after Daniël den Hoed, the founder of radiotherapy in the Netherlands - became part of the Academic Hospital Rotterdam. On 1 June 2002, the Dijkzigt Hospital, the Sophia Children's Hospital, the Daniel den Hoed Clinic, and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, all formally merged into the current Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC), which is affiliated with Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Erasmus MC started in May 2009 with a major new construction and renovation project at their location. The first part (at the east) was completed in 2013 and put into use. The second part (at the West) was completed in late 2017 and put into operation in 2018. A new main entrance was constructed close to the Dijkzigt metro station, on the Wytemaweg. Hereafter is planned the demolition of the old Dijkzigt Hospital and the renovation of the Faculty of Medicine tower and the buildings of the Sophia Children's Hospital.
Complete Genomics.
In May 2011 Erasmus Medical Center signed an agreement with California-based Complete Genomics (), a life sciences company that has developed and commercialized a proprietary DNA sequencing platform for human genome sequencing and analysis. Complete Genomics signed a contract to produce genetic sequence for 250 Erasmus Medical Center samples. In September 2012 the Beijing Genomics Institute purchased Complete Genomics for $117M. The United States Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States cleared the purchase by December 2012.
The head of bioinformatics, Dr. Peter J. van der Spek, claimed that Complete Genomics' complete human genome sequencing service will allow us to study genetic variations at a higher resolution and greater sensitivity than has been previously possible."
The Department of Viroscience of the Erasmus MC.
About new emerging viral infections.
Viral infections like Ebola, MERS, SARS and Zika continue to be among the leading causes of illness and death across the world. They threaten the health of the global population if they are not rapidly detected and contained. 
Besides known viruses, new viruses continue to emerge due to rapid demographic changes over the past decades, as well as globalization of travel and trade. SARS-CoV-2 is a recent example. The current COVID-19 pandemic shows the devastating impact emerging zoonotic diseases can have on societies.
As the pandemic continues to unfold, understanding how the epidemic began is essential to prevent further SARS-CoV-2 virus introductions and help prevent introductions of new viruses in the future. It could also potentially assist with the development of treatments and vaccines. Identifying the origin of the virus, however, is a complex task, which requires strong international and multi-sectoral collaboration, and a commitment to leverage expertise, capacity, and work globally.
Besides being highly involved in this part of the global scientific research on SARS-CoV-2, The Department of Viroscience of the Erasmus MC is also executing research on many other aspects of SARS-CoV-2.  
The Department of Viroscience of the Erasmus MC.
is an international centre of excellence for multidisciplinary, basic, translational and clinical research of viruses and virus infections at the molecular, patient and population level. The unique aspect of the Department of Viroscience is its translational approach, with expertise ranging from basic virology to clinical virology, connecting medical and veterinary health, public health and ecology. By combining these complementary areas of expertise The Department of Viroscience is able to meet today's and tomorrow's societal challenges in diseases caused by common and newly emerging viruses. 
The Department of Viroscience is Reference Centre for:.
Professor Marion Koopmans, Head of the Department of Viroscience, is also part of the international team of the current WHO-convened Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2 China studies (November 2020). 