The University of Aveiro (UA) incorporated the creation of a Clinical Academic Center into its health strategy. This center was a partnership with the Aveiro Regional Health Unit (ULS RA). The key figures in this initiative were: Dr. Aurélio Rodrigues, President of the Board of Directors for ULS RA; and from the UA, Rector Professor Manuel Assunção, along with Professor Manuel Santos, who was the Director of both the Institute of Biomedicine (IBIMED) and the Department of Medical Sciences (DCM).

Following a request from Professor Horácio Costa, Director of the ULSGE's Training, Education, and Research Service (SFEI), and with the consent of Professor Manuel Assunção, then Rector of the University of Aveiro (UA), a meeting was held at the UA Rectory on February 2, 2016. The purpose was to formalize the ULSGE's affiliation with the UA and establish a CAC (Centro Académico Clínico - Clinical Academic Center). The meeting was attended by Professor Manuel Assunção, Professor Manuel Santos (Director of IBIMED), and Professor Horácio Costa.

It was the clear understanding of all parties involved that the Center should include the following institutions: the University of Aveiro (UA), Unidade Local de Saúde Gaia Espinho (ULSGE), Unidade Local de Saúde de Entre Douro e Vouga (ULS EDV), and Unidade Local de Saúde região de Aveiro (ULS RA).
On the same day, a committee was appointed with representatives from each institution: Professor Manuel Santos for the UA, Professor Horácio Costa for the ULSGE, Dr. Joana Guimarães (an endocrinologist and then-Director of the SFEI) for the ULS RA, and Dr. Elsa Soares (Clinical Director) and Professor Leal Loureiro (Director of the SFEI) for the ULS EDV.

The appointment of Professor António Dias Alves as Chairman of the ULSGE in April 2017 provided the foundation, integration, and significant development of this project, thanks to a robust team effort.

During this period, Professor Manuel Assunção, then Rector of the University of Aveiro, demonstrated continued dedication, genuine enthusiasm, and firm conviction in his persistent efforts to make things happen.

The entrepreneurial spirit of Professor Manuel Santos was key to the gradual structuring of the CAC. He was the one who proposed the institution's final name: the Egas Moniz Health Alliance (EMHA).

The name "Egas Moniz" was chosen to honour this native of the region between the Douro and Vouga rivers, where all the member institutions of EMHA are located. António Caetano de Abreu Freire Egas Moniz, born in Avanca, Estarreja, on November 29, 1874, and deceased in Lisbon on December 13, 1955, was a Portuguese physician, neurosurgeon, scientist, innovator, professor, politician, and writer. He was responsible for developing cerebral angiography in 1927, a discovery that revolutionized medicine and neurosurgery by enabling the diagnosis of brain tumours, cerebral aneurysms, and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). For this discovery, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize three times (1928, 1929, 1930).

He also pioneered the neurosurgical procedure known as prefrontal leucotomy, or lobotomy, which led to the emergence of psychosurgery. For this latter discovery, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1949, which he shared with the Swiss physiologist Walter Rudolf Hess.

The name "Health Alliance" was chosen to honor the union of institutions and individuals who selflessly and collaboratively drove this project forward. This suggestion was unanimously and enthusiastically accepted.

As a result, a final document was drafted, which also benefited from the valuable contribution of Dr. Margarida França, who was a board member of the ULSGE at the time.

The then-Minister of Health, Professor Adalberto Campos Fernandes, was a crucial and visionary enthusiast of the project. In addition to offering explicit words of encouragement during his visit to the ULSGE, he arranged a meeting with the project leaders on April 30, 2018. This meeting officially solidified the Ministry of Health's commitment to the project.

Attendees at this meeting included:

• From the University of Aveiro (UA): Professor Manuel Assunção, Rector, and Professor Manuel Santos, Director of IBIMED.

• From the ULSGE: Professor António Dias Alves, Chairman of the Board, and Professor Horácio Costa, Director of the SFEI.

• From the ULS EDV: Dr. Miguel Paiva, Chairman of the Board, and Dr. Elsa Soares, Clinical Director.

• From the ULS RA: Dr. Aurélio Rodrigues, Chairman of the Board.

On June 4, 2018, the committee visited the Egas Moniz House Museum, accompanied by the then-Mayor of Estarreja, in a symbolic tribute to the scientist, researcher, professor, and Nobel Prize winner in Medicine.

With the new UA Rectory taking office in May 2018, the commitment to the project's long-term sustainability was further enhanced, specifically by Professor Paulo Jorge, the new Rector, and Professor Artur Silva, the new Vice-Rector.

Similarly, the inauguration of the new ULSGE Board of Directors signified the project's positive continuation. This was achieved through collaborative analysis and deliberation with Dr. Rui Guimarães, Chairman of the Board, Dr. Diana Mota, Clinical Director, Dr. Paulo Diz, Board Member, and Professor Horácio Costa.

In the same vein, the appointment of Dr. Margarida França as the new Chairperson of the ULS RA Board solidified the sustainability of this development.

On September 4, 2019, a productive meeting took place at the Ministry of Health in Lisbon with the then-Secretary of State, Professor Raquel Duarte. Attendees included Professor Artur Silva, Professor Manuel Santos, Dr. Elsa Soares, and Professor Horácio Costa. The development of this academic and inter-hospital partnership was considered highly relevant for the National Health Service (SNS), for both postgraduate and continuing medical education, and for research.

The Minister of Health at the time, Dr. Marta Temido, also played a key role in the project's development. During her visit to the ULSGE on August 20, 2020, she expressed her firm support for the creation and implementation of the EHMA to Dr. Rui Guimarães and Professor Horácio Costa.

The support of the President of the Republic, Professor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and his Health Affairs Advisor, Dr. Mário Pinto, solidified the project's social and cultural significance.

The news from the University of Aveiro's Rectory on February 22, 2021, announcing that the EHMA had been approved by the Council of Ministers, was a reward for the efforts of this academic and inter-hospital group. This achievement will significantly elevate education, training, and research, and enable the translation of knowledge into patient care for the region and the country.

Now is the time to converge and maximize the different human and intellectual capacities, and the unique contributions of the people and institutions that make up this organization, for the betterment of:

• The National Health Service (NHS)

• Healthcare

• Education

• Training

• Research

• Academia

• Citizenship

And, above all, for the well-being of the citizens of this beautiful country, especially those who are most vulnerable and in need of healthcare—to whom we dedicate our existence.