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New Professors for Cardiology and Pulmonology at the MedUni Vienna

Top international experts Christian Hengstenberg and Marco Idzko appointed on 1 October
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(Vienna, 2 Oct. 2017) On October 2, 2017, two internationally renowned experts took up their professorship at the MedUni Vienna. Christian Hengstenberg from the German Heart Centre Munich is appointed Professor of Cardiology, Marco Idzko from the University Hospital of Freiburg is appointed Professor of Pulmonology.

“We are pleased to have won Christian Hengstenberg and Marco Idzko, two personalities with special international reputation, for two core subjects at our university“, explained Markus Müller, Dean of the MedUni Vienna, “with their help we will further expand our international position in the field of cardiovascular and lung diseases.”

Christian Hengstenberg (55) comes to Vienna from the Clinic for Cardiovascular Diseases of the German Heart Centre in Munich. Diseases of the cardiovascular system are particularly common in our society. The treatment of heart disease can increasingly be performed with minimal invasive catheter techniques. These include diseases of the coronary vessels, the heart muscle and the heart valves. The most advanced methods are available for this purpose and treated according to the latest standards of medical research in interdisciplinary teams with colleagues from cardiac surgery, anaesthetics, angiology and radiology.  

“By passing on our knowledge in a responsible manner, we do not only shape the present, but also the future of medicine for the benefit of the patients. For example, the latest findings in molecular genetics are combined with the power of high-performance computers. The aim is to make individual therapy proposals for the individual patient. There are also enormous scientific findings in the field of heart valves, which are being researched at the Medical University of Vienna,” says Hengstenberg.

Marco Idzko (41) comes from the Freiburg University Hospital to the MedUni Vienna. The pulmonologist investigates inflammatory respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). These are the most common lung diseases and are the fourth leading cause of death worldwide.
“The aim of my work is to better understand the immunological mechanisms that contribute to chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract in order to identify new mediators and/or signalling paths from which new therapeutic approaches can be derived,” says Idzko. Translational approaches are fundamental in this process.

Date info: Inaugural lecture by Joachim Widder on 13 October
Joachim Widder is Professor of Radiotherapy-Radiooncology and is the Head of the Department of Radiotherapy of the MedUni Vienna/AKH Vienna since 1 March 2017. In his public lecture on 13 October 2017 (10 a.m.) in the lecture hall centre of the MedUni Vienna/AKH Vienna talks about technical advances, which provide for more targeting accuracy in radiotherapy and thus bring greater benefit to the patients. Please register by 6 October at pr@meduniwien.ac.at.