UNIVERSITY & ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER

IN EUROPE AND BEYOND

Scaleable UMC & AMC Alliances for Lifecare:

UMC & AMC Strategic Leadership for scaleable sustainable Medicine

Anchoring the Global Transformation from Sickcare to Lifecare through value-based Healthcare in synchronization of Healthy Longevity Medicine, Science, Innovation, and Education

WELCOME ABOARD

 

A Strategic Shift in Academic Medicine

University and Academic Medical Centers (UMCs and AMCs) in Europe and globally are entering a new leadership era—an era defined by the transformation of health systems from disease-reactive sickcare toward predictive, preventive, and person-centered Lifecare. At the heart of this evolution is the emerging field of Healthy Longevity Medicine, a discipline that integrates biomedical science, aging research, precision health, digital medicine, and systems biologyto extend not just lifespan—but healthspan.

Academic medical institutions serve as societal innovation engines. Through the strategic leadership of their Chief Executive Officers, Chief Medical Officers, Deans, and Chief Nursing Officers, they are now poised to embed Healthy Longevity as a core academic and clinical mission—shaping public health outcomes, medical education, and innovation ecosystems across continents.

Healthy Longevity Medicine: A New Academic Medical Specialty

As global awareness of the economic and social costs of a growing sickspan increases, Healthy Longevity Medicine has emerged as a new, integrative specialty. Powered by Precision Health and backed by decades of research into the hallmarks of aging, this field now requires institutional infrastructure to reach scale.

To this end, UMCs and AMCs are beginning to establish dedicated Precision Health Longevity Departments to translate longevity science into accessible, affordable, and actionable care pathways. These departments are structured around four core pillars:

The Four Pillars of Academic Longevity Departments

P1: Clinical Center for Healthy Longevity
Establishing integrated longevity clinics within academic hospitals to deliver advanced, personalized, and preventive care models, focused on risk reduction, metabolic health, immune resilience, and functional aging.

P2: Research Center for Healthy Longevity
Building interdisciplinary aging research hubs that bring together genomics, epigenetics, immunology, geroscience, and systems medicine to drive breakthroughs in healthspan extension.

P3: Innovation Hub for Healthy Longevity
Creating translational platforms that connect clinical research with startups, biotech, and health tech, accelerating innovation in diagnostics, therapeutics, biomarkers, and AI-driven care solutions.

P4: Education Hub for Healthy Longevity
Integrating Healthy Longevity into the curriculum of medicine, public health, nursing, and allied health professions, to prepare the next generation of clinicians and scientists for a Lifecare paradigm.

International Momentum: Global Prototypes

The transformation is already underway in pioneering institutions around the world:

  • National University of Singapore is leading government-backed efforts to extend the national healthspan by three years over the next decade—an ambitious public health goal grounded in scientific policy and infrastructure.

  • Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv has launched one of the world’s first Healthy Longevity Departmentsstructured on its “4A Strategy”:

    • Accessible: Integrating longevity clinics into public health systems

    • Affordable: Delivering longevity care models for all, not just the privileged

    • Academic: Embedding the clinical-research-education-innovation framework

    • AI-Powered: Utilizing artificial intelligence and data commons to drive precision medicine at population scale

  • The Buck Institute for Research on Aging and Phenome Health in California, led by thought leaders such as Dr. Leroy Hood, are advancing systems-based precision health frameworks in partnership with international academic and clinical networks.

These prototypes are not isolated; they form the early nodes of a globally synchronized academic ecosystem for Healthy Longevity. Europe’s academic medical landscape is now called to join and lead in this synchronized transformation.

Strategic Imperatives for Europe and Beyond

1. Policy-Backed Expansion

Just as Singapore’s government set a national target for healthspan expansion, European and global governments must align their public health goals, innovation funding, and aging strategies with institutional capabilities of UMCs.

2. Cross-Border Knowledge Networks

Healthy Longevity Departments must be connected through academic consortia, digital knowledge networks, and AI-powered learning health systems to co-create international standards and protocols.

3. From Bench to Bedside to Society

Academic centers have the translational power to bring longevity science out of the lab and into daily practice—impacting not only individual patients but entire communities and economies.

4. Anchoring Lifecare in Academic Medicine

Academic institutions must define the next generation of healthcare—Lifecare—as an interprofessional, multidimensional, and lifelong approach to health promotion, aging well, and planetary wellness.

Conclusion: UMCs as Lifecare Catalysts

University and Academic Medical Centers are no longer just centers of excellence for curing disease; they are becoming launchpads for scalable, sustainable Lifecare systems. By anchoring Healthy Longevity Medicine, Science, Innovation, and Education within new Precision Health Longevity Departments, these institutions can lead the transition from volume-based to value-based, from reactive to predictive, and from treatment to prevention.

As this academic movement grows, it is building a synchronized international infrastructure for Precision Healthspan Expansion—with Europe as a vital actor. The time to close the gap between healthspan and lifespan has arrived—and the institutional backbone of this effort lies within our most advanced academic medical centers.

The future of medicine for sustainable health isn’t just about living longer—it’s about living better, together.

Executive Summary UMC`s & AMC´s in Europe and Beyond

University & Academic Medical Centers: Pillars of Europe’s Lifecare Transformation

Europe is home to approximately 250 University Medical Centers (UMCs) and over 100 leading Academic Medical Centers (AMCs)—plus a multitude of medical faculties and schools. Globally, there are around 1,000 UMCs and AMCs, yet most operate in isolation. This fragmented architecture hampers their collective ability to scale 360° Next‑Generation Lifecare, which integrates clinics, science, innovation, and education under one transformative umbrella:

Top 25 European UMCs

Based on research output, clinical impact, and global recognition (according to SCImago, Newsweek, Healthcare Digital):

  1. Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)

  2. University Medical Center Utrecht (NL)

  3. University Hospital Zurich (CH)

  4. Leiden UMC (NL)

  5. Erasmus MC Rotterdam (NL)

  6. University Medical Center Groningen (NL)

  7. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CH)

  8. Guy’s & St Thomas’, London (UK)

  9. Radboud UMC Nijmegen (NL)

  10. Klinikum Rechts der Isar, TU Munich (DE)

  11. University Hospital Heidelberg (DE)

  12. Amsterdam UMC (NL)

  13. Oslo University Hospital (NO)

  14. UKE Hamburg‑Eppendorf (DE)

  15. Aarhus University Hospital (DK)

  16. CHUV Lausanne (CH)

  17. Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SE)

  18. University Hospital Maastricht (NL)

  19. University Hospital Basel (CH)

  20. University Hospital Bern (CH)

  21. Aachen University Hospital (DE)

  22. Copenhagen University Hospital (DK)

  23. University Medical Center Freiburg (DE)

  24. City of London’s Imperial College (GB)

  25. Additional top centers across Europe

These institutions exemplify Europe’s scientific strength and clinical excellence.

Top 10 European Academic Medical Research Centers (Non-Hospital)

These world-class research institutions, while not hospital-based, drive scientific innovation:

  1. Karolinska Institute (SE)

  2. EMBL – European Molecular Biology Laboratory (DE)

  3. Institut Curie (FR)

  4. German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ, DE)

  5. Max‑Planck Institutes (DE)

  6. Luxembourg Institute of Health (LU)

  7. Fondazione IRCCS San Raffaele (IT)

  8. Institut Pasteur (FR)

  9. MRC (UK)

  10. Institute of Cancer Research, Royal Cancer Hospital (UK)

They anchor innovation ecosystems and advance global medical science.

Towards Synchronization & Scale

Despite their individual achievements, most UMCs, AMCs, and research institutes lack systematic coordination to deploy Precision Healthspan Expansion. This creates:

  • Missed opportunities for shared governance

  • Duplication of efforts in aging biology and healthy longevity

  • Insufficient integration with startups, policymakers, and communities

Leopoldina Discussion Paper: A Momentum Catalyst

Germany’s National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina calls for a paradigm shift—from treating age-related diseases to targeting mechanisms of aging themselves. Key recommendations include:

  • National systems‑aging consortia

  • Multi-omics biobanks and biomarker pipelines

  • Interdisciplinary collaboration across model organisms and human data

  • Campaigns to scale geroprotective medicine across Europe

Instituting these recommendations at UMCs/AMCs could align research, clinical practice, and public health on aging. Source Leopoldina: Health-Extending Medicine in an Aging Society – Prospects for Medical Research and Practice (2025) @ PDF LEOPOLDINA

Anchoring Healthy Longevity Departments in UMCs/AMCs

To operationalize Longevity Medicine, we propose institutionalizing Healthy Longevity Departments (HLDs) within UMCs/AMCs, structured around four pillars:

  1. Clinical Hub – accessible, preventive longevity clinics

  2. Research Hub – interdisciplinary aging and precision-medicine science

  3. Innovation Hub – translational pipelines linking to startups and investors

  4. Education Hub – training in longevity science, AI, and value-based care

Already, national leaders like Singapore and early movers like Sheba (Tel Aviv) have shown that institutionalizing HLDs within public medical centers is feasible—and scalable.

Call to Action: European and Transatlantic Synchronization

European UMCs/AMCs and leading research institutes must:

  • Adopt national and continental frameworks inspired by Leopoldina’s recommendation

  • Launch synchronized Longevity Departments, interoperable across European centers

  • Connect to global networks like Sheba, Buck Institute, and Singapore

  • Align policy, education, funding, and care models through shared governance and standards

Conclusion: Bridging Healthspan Medicine & Science towards UMC´s & AMC´s

By mobilizing Europe’s 250 UMCs, 100+ AMCs, and leading research centers into an integrated Lifecare ecosystem, anchored in Healthy Longevity Medicine, we can close the healthspan–lifespan gap at scale. This institutional leadership is not just possible—it is essential for future-proofing health systems across Europe and the world.

TOP UMC`s & AMC´s of USA

Transatlantic Bridging for scaleable sustainable Medicine for sustainable Health

TRANSATLANTIC ALLIANCE

WELCOME ABOARD

 

TOP 25 UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER OF THE USA

1. NewYork‑Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center (New York, NY)
2. Tisch Hospital (New York, NY)
3. University Hospital (University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI)
4. Cleveland Clinic Main Campus (Cleveland, OH)
5. Yale New Haven Hospital (New Haven, CT)
6. The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
7. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
8. Barnes‑Jewish Hospital (Saint Louis, MO)
9. Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, TN)
10. Medical University of South Carolina Medical Center (Charleston, SC)
11. Duke University Hospital (Durham, NC)
12. UNC Medical Center (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC)
13. Strong Memorial Hospital (University of Rochester, Rochester, NY)
14. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles, CA)
15. UPMC Presbyterian (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA)
16. Stanford Hospital (Stanford Health Care, Stanford, CA)
17. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia, PA)
18. Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA)
19. UF Health Shands Hospital (University of Florida, Gainesville, FL)
20. Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL)
21. Jackson Memorial Hospital (University of Miami, Miami, FL)
22. University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (Iowa City, IA)
23. University Hospital (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA)
24. UChicago Medicine Mitchell Hospital (Chicago, IL)
25. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (Winston‑Salem, NC)

 

TOP 10 (non-clinical, non-hospital) ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER OF THE USA

1. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
2. Salk Institute for Biological Studies
3. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
4. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
5. J. Craig Venter Institute
6. Scripps Research
7. Buck Institute for Research on Aging
8. Allen Institute
9. Gladstone Institutes
10. Howard Hughes Medical Institute – Janelia Research Campus

Synchronizing for Collective Intelligence & Action in Health Transformation

THE HEALTH CAPTAINS INSTITUTE (THCI) is synchronizing to stop re-inventing the wheel again and again—by actively learning from and following of ARC Innovation at Sheba Medical Center and FoH – Future of Health as global role models for the Transformation towards sustainable Medicine for sustainable Health. The goal: to co-create synchronized with ARC & FoH a scalable and transferable European framework for transformation in University Medical Centers (UMCs), Academic Medical Centers (AMCs), leading Hospital Groups, and Care Platforms.

Through system-level alignment, strategic leadership engagement, and cross-sector collaboration, THCI is enabling a paradigm shift—from isolated, reactive “Sickcare” to an integrated, forward-looking 360º Lifecare Ecosystem, underpinned by Healthy Longevity, Precision Medicine, and Sustainable Value-Based Healthcare.

1. ARC Innovation – A Transformational Blueprint

Founded in 2019 at Sheba Medical Center, ARC Innovation (“Accelerate, Redesign, Collaborate”) has rapidly become a blueprint for global health innovation ecosystems. ARC integrates innovation directly into clinical practice and medical education through:

  • A structured open innovation model with embedded partnerships

  • Digital and AI-driven care models to improve patient outcomes at scale

  • Proven ability to translate cutting-edge science into real-world healthcare transformation

  • An international knowledge-sharing network connecting startups, hospitals, governments, and academic centers

THCI is learning from ARC and bringing its innovation architecture into the European public academic health sector to enable Healthy Longevity Clinical Centers, Innovation Hubs, and Data-Driven Lifecare Platforms across regions and borders.

2. FoH – Future of Health: Leadership for a Global Health Future

The Future of Health (FoH) community unites the world’s leading hospital executives—CEOs, CMOs, CIOs, CNOs—and policymakers to shape the global future of healthcare. With a mission to create shared space for executive-level collaboration, FoH:

  • Facilitates peer-learning and systems-thinking at the leadership level

  • Promotes strategic foresight, governance innovation, and scaling of solutions

  • Builds an international leadership community equipped to drive change from the inside out

THCI shares FoH’s belief that leadership is the lever for system redesign. As a European think-and-do tank, THCI aligns itself with the FoH ethos and is forming bridges to connect academic public hospitals, medical faculties, and care networks with a global dialogue on transformation.

3. THE HEALTH CAPTAINS CLUB – The Integrative Leadership Engine

The HEALTH CAPTAINS CLUB serves as THCI’s interdisciplinary membership and leadership development platform. It empowers leaders from medicine, science, policy, innovation, and business to:

  • Exchange knowledge and align visions across silos and sectors

  • Co-develop strategies that are patient-centered, science-backed, and digitally enabled

  • Serve as Health Captains who navigate from Sickcare to Lifecare, shaping both policy and practice

  • Accelerate the implementation of Healthy Longevity and Value-Based Health innovation through connected leadership platforms

Through its network structure, the Club connects local action with global insight—positioning Europe not as a follower, but as a co-leader in global health innovation.

Possible Strategic Objectives of the Alliance

THCI, ARC, and FoH together form a complementary triad to:

  • Develop interoperable Lifecare Innovation Frameworks for AMCs, UMCs, and hospital groups

  • Build precision-driven Healthy Longevity Medicine Hubs embedded in academic systems

  • Synchronize European policy and care strategies with global breakthroughs in innovation

  • Foster data commons, AI-powered healthcare, and scalable education ecosystems

  • Create a continental learning health system connected to global centers of excellence

Positive Impact Vision: A Lifecare System Without Borders

This alliance enables the emergence of:

  • Pan-European Academic Lifecare Alliances

  • Scalable Healthy Longevity Departments in public UMCs and research AMCs

  • One Health Lifecare Models that link regions, metropoles, and island communities

  • Healthspan Economy frameworks to extend vitality, productivity, and social cohesion

  • Synchronized knowledge-sharing and standard-setting across borders

Conclusion: Leadership Is the New Infrastructure

By following and adapting the proven innovations of ARC Innovation and FoH, THE HEALTH CAPTAINS INSTITUTE is creating a scalable European role model for UMCs, AMCs, hospital alliances, and integrated care systems. Anchored in leadership, science, and synchronized mission design, this initiative fosters a unified, human-centered health future—built not in isolation, but in collaborative motion.

Together, we are navigating toward a world where the Healthspan expands, medicine becomes Lifecare, and health systems become truly future-proof.

“WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE DON’T KNOW”

EXPLORING THE UNEXPLORED

LEADERSHIP FOR EXPLORING SUSTAINABLE HEALTH

“360º NEXT GENERATION SUSTAINABLE VALUE-BASED LIFECARE POWERED BY NEW INNOVATIONS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THE SUPER-CONVERGENCE IN MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES NAVIGATING US TOGETHER TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE HEALTH INDUSTRY”

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