Stronger together in trauma care: UMC Utrecht and Defense build on next phase of CETC

In the Civil-Military Center of Expertise for Trauma Care (CETC), colleagues from UMC Utrecht and the Defense Healthcare Organization (DGO) are working together on a joint mission to improve post-trauma care for both civilians and military personnel: zero avoidable mortality and minimization of disability after (psychological) injury. On Oct. 23, Brigadier General Diana Verweij (Commander DGO) and Prof. Dr. Carina Hilders (Chairman of the Board UMC Utrecht) signed a new cooperation agreement giving impetus to the next phase of the CETC.

With this agreement, UMC Utrecht and Defense formally ratify the existing cooperation in the CETC. In addition, the agreement marks the next phase in which UMC Utrecht and DGO continue to build the CETC together. In the coming years, the CETC will focus on various projects and research within the domains of complex acute care, psychotrauma and value-driven care. Central to this is the continuous improvement of care pathways by conducting applied research and developing and sharing knowledge about innovations and (data) technology. The four lines of research – Patient Journey, Burn Care, Synthetic Patient Data and Value-Driven Care – form the common thread.

The CETC was established in January 2024 as an innovation project, funded in part by the DOSCO Development Fund. At the Ministry of Defense, the CETC is part of the Central Military Hospital (CMH). At the UMC Utrecht, the CETC is part of the Trauma Center. The CETC collaborates with partners such as TNO, the Maasstad hospital and the Digital United Training Concept for Healthcare (DUTCH) consortium.