Neurosurgeon Van Hoytema
Gerard Johan Van Hoytema was born on January 27, 1915, in Batavia, Dutch East Indies. He attended secondary school in Hilversum and then studied medicine in Groningen, graduating with a doctorate. On September 30, 1942, he passed his medical exam at the University of Amsterdam. He then trained as a general surgeon at the Municipal Hospital in Arnhem until 1945. In 1947, he registered as a surgeon in the Dutch Specialist Register.
In October 1949, Van Hoytema began training as a neurosurgeon at the Wilhelmina Gasthuis in Amsterdam. He settled in Enschede on July 1, 1953. He was the first neurosurgeon in Twente and practiced at both hospitals in Enschede. Despite his busy practice, Van Hoytema managed to obtain his doctorate in Amsterdam in April 1956 on the subject of “Hydrocephalus: A disorder in the resorption of cerebrospinal fluid.”
Collaboration with THT/University of Twente
Since the establishment of the Enschede Neurosurgery Center on July 1, 1953, Van Hoytema has been intensively involved in the development of depth measurements and deep brain stimulation. He was one of the first to recognize the advantages of collaboration between the clinic and the engineers at what was then the Technical University of Twente (now the University of Twente) for the technological development of medicine. “Interesting opportunities can arise at that intersection,” Van Hoytema said. On March 24, 1966, Van Hoytema suffered a heart attack, which killed him that same day. He left behind a wife and six children.
Dr. G.J. Van Hoytema Foundation
The Dr. G.J. Van Hoytema Foundation was established in 1968 on the initiative of a group of physicians who were enthusiastic about combining research and continuing education. Since its inception, the foundation has been housed in the Vrijhof building at the University of Twente. Until January 1, 2024, it provided continuing education for healthcare professionals and was one of the recognized institutes for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (PAOG and PAOT) in the Netherlands. The recent steady decline in the number of students participating in the extensive range of courses offered was the reason for dissolving the foundation. In 2007, 3,000 students per year still came to take a course, but by 2023 that number had halved. The rise of e-learning may have played an important role in this.