(Vienna, 01 September 2021) Gerhard Prager, Head of the Obesity Outpatient Clinic at MedUni Vienna's Department of General Surgery, is taking up a professorship in bariatric surgery on 1 September 2021.
The focus of his work is translational research into the mechanisms of bariatric-metabolic surgery: "Around 80% of type II diabetics no longer require medication after bariatric-metabolic surgery. Our aim is to research the mechanisms, while at the same time keeping an eye on the long-term outcomes and consequences of these interventions," explains Prager. "Bariatric metabolic surgery has also been shown to be extremely effective in the treatment of NASH (NonAlcoholic SteatoHepatitis) - apart from weight loss, the underlying mechanisms for this are hitherto unclear. According to Prager, similar positive effects can also be demonstrated for other organ systems, such as the heart and kidneys.
Further research using an animal model (established by Magdalena Mairinger of the Department of General Surgery) will investigate the interaction between bariatric-metabolic surgery and various organ systems (such as the gut-liver axis). Another goal is to intensify the already close cooperation with the specialisms of endocrinology/gastroenterology/hepatology/anaesthesia, in the sense of a Metabolic Cluster.
About Gerhard Prager
Gerhard Prager, born in 1967, is Head of the Obesity Outpatient Clinic at MedUni Vienna's Department of General Surgery. He graduated as a doctor of general medicine at the medical faculty of the University of Vienna in July 1992. In 2003 he was appointed Senior Doctor at MedUni Vienna's Department of Surgery, and since 2004 he has also served as Head of the Bariatric Surgery Working Group. From 2011 until 2015 Prager chaired the scientific advisory board of the IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders). He is currently serving as President of the European Society for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders: IFSO European Chapter.