Every year, the MedUni Alumni Club plays a key role in organising the Medical University of Vienna Day. As part of the ‘Life Paths’ series, personalities from various medical fields are introduced and talk about their careers and experiences.
This year Anita Rieder, Vice Rector for Education, talks to Josef Smolen, former head of the Clinical Department of Rheumatology at MedUni Vienna.
About Josef Smolen
Josef Smolen is an internationally renowned rheumatologist and immunologist. He received his doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1975. After conducting research at the Institute of Immunology and completing his internal medicine training at Vienna General Hospital, he furthered his expertise in rheumatology as a fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the United States. Smolen qualified as a professor in clinical immunology in 1985 and in internal medicine in 1987. In 1989, he took over as head of the 2nd Medical Department at Lainz Hospital (Hietzing Clinic) and was appointed to the Chair of Rheumatology at the University of Vienna in 1995. Until his retirement in 2018, he was head of the Clinical Department of Rheumatology and the University Clinic for Internal Medicine III at Vienna General Hospital.
Smolen was President of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and a leader in national and international professional societies. His research on the pathogenesis and treatment of inflammatory joint diseases is among the most cited worldwide. Even after his retirement, Josef Smolen continues to research and publish. To date, he has published more than 700 scientific publications. He is also editor of the most important scientific journal in rheumatology, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, published by the European League Against Rheumatism.
In his private life, Smolen enjoys studying literary expressionism. He has already published several bibliographies on this topic, with another book to follow this year.