Introduction:

Studying the academic and scientific contributions from the San Juan de Dios Hospital Complex (CHSJD by its acronym in Spanish) -which include the San Juan de Dios Hospital, Instituto Materno Infantil and Instituto de Inmunología- during the twentieth century is an important conceptual basis for promoting the development of university hospitals in the country and the continent.

Objective:

To expose the contributions from the CHSJD to different fields of medicine, the development of medical education and the construction of the school of Medicine.

Materials and methods:

A qualitative descriptive analysis was carried out, focusing on the main milestones reached by the CHSJD in the period between 1866 and the suspension of its activities. Key informants were interviewed, and an online survey and a documentary review were performed.

Results:

Thanks to its association with the faculties of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the San Juan de Dios Hospital was a pioneering university hospital in Colombia. Its multiple contributions in different disciplines are still in force and, despite its closing, it is still recognized as one of the largest sources of scientific knowledge in the country.

Conclusion:

It is essential for the development of university hospitals that the scientific-teaching staff takes on the challenge of implementing and developing innovations aimed at solving health challenges.

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