Endowed professorship: Pius Hospital and university continue their co-operation

Pius Hospital, which established Germany's first endowed professorship for medical radiation physics at the University of Oldenburg five years ago, will support this professorship on a permanent basis. The successful co-operation between the hospital and the university was sealed in August with a cooperation agreement. "We very much welcome Pius Hospital's decision to consolidate its existing commitment. Oldenburg is already one of the most important locations for medical physics in Germany. The permanent establishment of the endowed professorship underlines the expertise that is already available for medical training in Oldenburg," emphasised Acting President Dr Heide Ahrens at the signing of the contract. Elisabeth Sandbrink, Managing Director of Pius Hospital, explained that patient treatment benefits significantly from the co-operation with the Department of Medical Physics at the University of Oldenburg. "We have therefore decided to continue this successful co-operation with the university on a permanent basis," said Sandbrink.

Prof Dr Björn Poppe has held the foundation's junior professorship for four and a half years. In addition to supervising students of medical physics, he conducts research in the field of intensity-modulated radiotherapy in particular. In 2005, Poppe was honoured with the Innovation Award of the German Society for Radiooncology. Multi-field radiotherapy is not only frequently requested by patients. The Pius Medical Physics working group is highly recognised internationally, particularly in the area of "assurance - precision - treatment" with intensity-modulated radiotherapy. The Pius Hospital has already trained around 200 physicists from Germany and abroad in this specialised field. Delight at a successful co-operation with great sustainability (from left to right): Hospital Director Kay C. Willborn, Pius Managing Director Elisabeth Sandbrink, Dean Georg Klump, Acting President Heide Ahrens and Birger Kollmeier, Head of the University's Department of Medical Physics.
International studies show that medical physics and technology are playing an increasingly important role in the world of healthcare. However, over the past ten years, more and more chairs in medical radiation physics have been abolished across Germany. This makes the endowed professorship in Oldenburg all the more pleasing, explains the Managing Director of the Clinic for Radiotherapy and Internal Oncology at Pius Hospital, Dr Kay C. Willborn. The endowed professorship will ensure further development in the field of medical physics and thus also radiotherapy treatment techniques for the benefit of patients.

Graduates of the Medical Physics degree programme work in hospitals, international companies and research institutions. The particularly high proportion of medical physicists from Oldenburg is already noticeable at the annual conferences of the German Society for Medical Physics. "The demand for our graduates far exceeds the number of students trained here," emphasised Prof. Dr Dr Birger Kollmeier, Head of the Department of Medical Physics at the university.