Walter Tschugguel awarded professional title of "University Professor"

The professional title of "University Professor" is only awarded to outstanding exponents of their profession. However, in order to have the title conferred upon them, recipients must have gained their postdoctoral qualifications and subsequently demonstrated special achievements in independent research, special achievements in the area of scientific research and teaching, practical application of scientific knowledge and scientific work that has attracted both national and international scientific recognition.

Tschugguel's main interest is the study of the pathomechanism of little understood diseases in obstetrics and gynaecology.  For his postdoctoral qualification in 2000, he studied the mode of action of the gaseous molecule nitrogen monoxide (NO) within obstetrics, gynaecology and sections of oncology and investigated the questions he had thrown up using clinical trials.

Tschugguel has also conducted research into endometriosis, to gain an understanding of its pathomechanism and the dynamic behaviour of vascular steroid hormone receptors under the influence of steroids. Based on the assumption that endometriosis starts in the endometrium that has hitherto been regarded as normal, he directed some of his energy into founding the "Molecular biology of endometriosis" working group at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This project led to several publications and prize awards, as well as memberships of national and international expert societies.

A passion for teaching
In order to provide his students with the best possible support, Tschugguel completed a three-year supplementary course in Clinical Research at MedUni Vienna and acts as a mentor for younger colleagues, a Senior Supervisor and lecturer on postgraduate course N094 (Science as a vocation) and N790 (Science in one's vocation) and supervises dissertations and theses.
From 2001 until 2014, Tschugguel was involved, alongside Christian Dadak, in building up the Department of Education and Further Postgraduate Training at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Vienna. He then went on to serve as Deputy Head of this department, deputy block coordinator of Block 15 (sexuality, reproduction, pregnancy and birth) and tertial coordinator of Tertial Gynecology at MedUni Vienna. Tschugguel also teaches on undergraduate study course N202, in the context of lectures, seminars, practicals, medical internships and routine clinical activities.

Medical hypnosis
In addition to his interest in discovering causal relationships on a cellular and organic level, his clinical work in gynaecological endocrinology and fertility treatment has, above all else, taught him that the body and the personality are not two separate aspects of a person but, instead, can be understood as looking at a person from two different sides.
Thus, for example, he started to use clinical hypnosis as a method for treating functional disorders in gynaecological endocrinology, such as e.g. functional amenorrhoea in young women, chronic pelvic pain without any morphological basis, lean-body polycystic ovary syndrome and other indications. This work produced publications as well as a course, which has now been offered as an elective for 15 years and is very popular. Together with his colleague Henriette Walter from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tschugguel then developed the university course in "Medical Hypnosis", which has been running at MedUni Vienna since 2008.
This led to a lot of international seminar and lecturing work and Tschugguel was also appointed associate editor of the largest German-language hypnosis Journal, "Zeitschrift für Hypnose und Hypnotherapie" [Journal of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy]. Tschugguel is a member of several national and international medical societies.

Overall, Tschugguel's university work reflects his constant desire to describe the relationship between human functions and actions in the context of his environment by application of scientific methodology.