Former Director of the Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplant, and Pediatric Surgery at the University Hospital Gießen
Qualifications
10/1973-05/1980 Study of Human Medicine at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn. Student assistant in the dissection and histology course at the Anatomical Institute. Clinical year at the Malteser Hospital Bonn with elective subject Gynecology/Obstetrics.
07/1979 American ECFMG Examination (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates)
05/1980 License to practice medicine
12/1980 Doctorate in Medicine under the supervision of Prof. Dr. med. H. Kaufmann, University Eye Clinic Bonn (now Gießen): "Eye and Age - Investigation of monocular excursion, fusion range, and aniseikonic fusion in 70 subjects of all age groups."
Professional background
07/1980-06/1981 Residentship in Internal Medicine at Ravenswood Hospital Medical Center, University of Illinois, Chicago
06/1981 American FLEX Examination (Federal Licensing Examination) in Chicago
10/1981-12/1984 Start of specialist training at the Center for Surgery, Anesthesiology and Urology, Department of General and Thoracic Surgery (Head: Prof. Dr. K. Schwemmle) at Justus-Liebig University Gießen. Rotations in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery (Prof. Dr. F.W. Hehrlein) (four months) and in the Department of Trauma Surgery (Prof. Dr. H. Ecke) (1.5 years)
09/1982 American VQE Examination (Visa Qualifying Examination)
01/1985-12/1986 Two-year scholarship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) as a "Research Fellow in Surgery" in the Surgical Research Laboratory of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital (Prof. Dr. N.L. Tilney), Harvard University, Boston
01/1987 Research Assistant at the Center for Surgery, Department of General and Thoracic Surgery (Head Prof. Dr. K. Schwemmle) at Justus-Liebig University Gießen. Continuation of specialist training with rotations in the Department of Urology (Prof. Dr. C.F. Rothauge) (four months) and in the Department of Neurosurgery (Prof. Dr. K. Roosen) (one month)
04/1989 Senior Physician at the Department of General and Thoracic Surgery
07/1989 Head of the Laboratory for Transplantation Immunology at the Surgical Clinic
10/1989 Start of the research project funded by the DFG with the title: "The Development of Immune Tolerance in Various Immunosuppressive Models"
12/1989 Specialist recognition as "Surgeon"
12/1990 Habilitation in the field of surgery with the thesis: "Acquired antigen-specific immune tolerance through immunological enhancement in organ transplantation: efficacy and mechanisms of action as well as immunosuppressive synergy with cyclosporine A and interleukin 2 receptor antibodies"
02/1991 Appointment as Privatdozent with the inaugural lecture: "Development and Current Status of Kidney Transplantation"
03/1991 2nd Senior Physician at the Department of General and Thoracic Surgery
07/1992 Head Senior Physician for the Transplantation Unit and for Personnel Matters
04/1994 Member of the Department Council of the Faculty of Medicine and member of the Committee for Teaching and Study Matters
11/1994 Election to the nomination list for the C4 professorship in "General Surgery" at Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald
04/1996-06/1996 Internship at Humboldt University Berlin, Faculty of Medicine Virchow Clinic, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery (Head Prof. Dr. P. Neuhaus)
04/1996 Recognition of the specialist designation "Visceral Surgery" as well as recognition of the specialist designation "Thoracic Surgery"
09/1996 Adjunct Professorship
05/1998 Senior Consultant of the Department of General and Thoracic Surgery
09/1998-10/1998 Observation at the AKH-University Hospital Vienna, Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery (Prof. Dr. W. Klepetko)
10/1999 Authorization for training in the specialty of "Thoracic Surgery"
02/2000-03/2000 Observation at the University Hospital Inselhospital Bern, Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery (Prof. Dr. M. Büchler)
04/2000-02/2003 Managing Director of the Surgical Clinic and Chief Physician of the Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic, and Pediatric Surgery at the Klinikum am Steinenberg, Reutlingen, Academic Teaching Hospital of the University of Tübingen.
03/2003 Director of the Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation, and Pediatric Surgery at the University Hospital Giessen
07/2023 Emeritus Professor
Clinical specialties
- General, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplant, and Pediatric Surgery
- Transplant Immunology
Awards and honors
09/1989 Ludwig-Rehn Award 1989 from the Association of Middle Rhine Surgeons in Zurich for the work: "Immune tolerance through immunological enhancement in organ transplantation".
05/1991 Walter-Brendel Award 1991 from the European Society for Surgical Research (ESSR) in Salzburg for the work: "Immunosuppression by donor-specific bone marrow transplantation and low dose cyclosporine A in renal allotransplantation in rats."
12/1991 Schunk Award for Human Medicine 1991 from the Department of Human Medicine at Justus Liebig University Giessen for the work in the field of "Immunological Enhancement" and for "New Approaches to Immunosuppression after Transplantation".