From its founding by Americans in 1906 to 2026, the year its new flagship facility was inaugurated, the American Hospital of Paris (HAP) has followed an unconventional trajectory. Born out of individual initiative, entrepreneurial spirit, and the philanthropic ethos of its founders, the passing years have seen it cultivate its own unique identity and independence, turning its differences from the hospital landscape of France into a show of strength.

Having emerged victorious from World War I, the 1929 crisis, the Popular Front, World War II, oil crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as from its own history, marked by uncertainties and catastrophes, the American Hospital has managed to adapt and position itself, forging a unique identity at the crossroads of French and American cultures. This dual identity rooted in medical excellence, talent, innovation, openness, and solidarity upheld by generations of doctors, healthcare providers, governors, administrators, volunteers, and donors, all of whom have remained loyal to the core values that have shaped their history.

This book pays tribute to them. Because the story of the 120 years of the American Hospital of Paris is so much more than the history of a healthcare facility; it is the account of an extraordinary human journey that began with an ideal of freedom and solidarity and has continually reinvented itself to better prepare for the future.