Otmar Wiestler

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Otmar Wiestler. Otmar D. Wiestler.jpg
Otmar Wiestler.

Otmar D. Wiestler (born 6 November 1956 in Freiburg im Breisgau) is a German physician, a professor at the University of Heidelberg and president of the Helmholtz Association. He is not a typical basic scientist, but he successfully entered a number of highly popular fields of clinical research, including cancer research, tumor genetics and, more recently, stem cell research. He focuses on technology transfer of already existing technologies from basic science into clinical use, rather than developing the basic science.

Contents

Career

From 1975 to 1981 Wiestler went to the Medical School at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg. Under the direction of Paul Kleihues and Benedict Volk, Wiestler worked as assistant at the University of Freiburg until 1994, when he finished his thesis with summa cum laude. As a PostDoc he joined Gernot Walter for three years at the Institute of Pathology at the University of California San Diego. From 1987 to 1992 he was staff physician at the Department of Neuropathology at the Institute of Pathology of the University Hospital in Zürich, Switzerland, again with Paul Kleihues. In 1989 he temporarily headed the department. From 1992 to 2003, he was elected full professor and chair for Neuropathology at the university clinics in Bonn.

Since 2000 Wiestler is known to the public as a supporter of stem cell research in Germany.

From 2002 to 2003 Wiestler was also CEO of LIFE & BRAIN GmbH in Bonn. In 2004, Wiestler succeeded Harald zur Hausen as Chairman and scientific member of the Foundation Board of the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ). In 2015 he became President of the Helmholtz Association. In 2019 he was re-elected for a second term until 2025.

Other activities

Corporate boards

Non-profit organizations

Awards

On 8 April 2005 Wiestler received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. [8]

Publications

Wiestler has numerous original publications in journals of the neuropathology and cancer research. He also edited several books and is in the Editorial Board of various journals.

Notes

  1. ↑ Supervisory Board Bayer AG.
  2. ↑ Supervisory Board Archived 19 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine Berlin Institute of Health (BIH).
  3. ↑ Board of Trustees Archived 2 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Hertie Foundation.
  4. ↑ Board of Trustees Deutscher Zukunftspreis.
  5. ↑ Board of Trustees Archived 10 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.
  6. ↑ Heyo K. Kroemer appointed Chair of Board of Trustees (TUM), press release of 21 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Otmar D. Wiestler neuer Vorsitzender des TUM-Hochschulrats Technical University of Munich (TUM), press release of 26 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Order of merit, Germany". Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
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