User:Grobbee/Julius center

Julius Center

The Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (www.juliuscenter.nl) was established at the University Medical Center Utrecht in December 1996 by Diederick E. Grobbee, MD, PhD, appointed professor of clinical epidemiology at Utrecht University in September 1996. The Julius Center was built upon previously existing small departments of epidemiology, public health and clinical epidemiology and was subsequently expanded with primary care. The name of the Julius Center was chosen to create a logo for innovative health sciences rather than specifying the disciplines assembled in the Center. Hendrik Willem Julius (1901-1971) was a professor of health science at Utrecht University in the first half of the 20th century and an early advocate of the clinical trials. Julius never had an affiliation with the Center; we borrowed his name with consent of his (grand) children.

Since its start, the Julius Center has continuously grown in its main domains research, education and patient care. There are a few principles that have guided all decisions that shaped the Center. One is that epidemiology is a basic medical discipline. This is reflected in the research agenda of the Center and the background of its staff which comprises a fair number of physicians who work in productive harmony with epidemiologists from many other biomedical backgrounds. A second principle is the view that clinical epidemiology flourishes best in close approximation and interaction with clinical medicine. Consequently, the Center is located in a hospital environment and joined appointments of staff further support the continuous interaction with other, clinical, departments. Finally, a leading principle is that the quality of research by junior fellows as well as by experienced staff is determined by the level of understanding of the principles and methods of epidemiology, and to achieve this good education is essential