(Vienna, 09 February 2026) Michael Wagner, Head of the Center for Pediatric Simulation and Patient Safety at MedUni Vienna's Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, has been elected as the new President of the Austrian Platform for Patient Safety. He succeeds Brigitte Ettl, who has held this position since the organization was founded.
Michael Wagner works at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna in the Division of Neonatology, Intensive Care Medicine and Neuropediatrics. Since 2014, he has headed the Center for Pediatric Simulation and Patient Safety, which specializes in training relevant to patient safety.
Wagner is intensively involved in simulation-based training, airway management, and resuscitation in the pediatric field and has conducted numerous studies on innovative training methods (3D models, telemedicine, mixed reality), resuscitation techniques, and the improvement of interprofessional teamwork and patient safety. Some of his work has received multiple awards, including the Patient Safety Award and EU funding. Wagner is also active in international networks, for example as a board member of the European Patient Safety Foundation and as a founding member of the Kindersimulation network.
The Austrian Platform for Patient Safety (ANetPAS-Austrian Network for Patient Safety) was founded in November 2008 as part of the EUNetPAS project and on the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health. This enabled the systematic processing of current topics relating to patient and employee safety in Austria to be started for the first time. The Austrian Platform for Patient Safety sees its main task as networking these competencies – in a multi-professional, independent, and international manner. The network includes the key institutions and experts in the Austrian healthcare system.