From Guangzhou to Heidelberg

On June 2nd at 10:00 AM, the team of three from Gloryren visited the Department of Neurosurgery at Heidelberg University Hospital and had an in-depth discussion with the team of Prof. Krieg. The visit was coordinated and organized by Dr. Suchorska, the Deputy Director.

Following the meeting, Dr. Nohman provided a guided tour of the outpatient clinic, wards, intensive care unit and the operating room of the department. This thoughtful arrangement underscored the significance they placed on our visit, and we were deeply grateful for their thorough hospitality.

Dr. Nohman introduced us to the Department of Neurosurgery at Heidelberg University Hospital, which is one of top three neurosurgery centers in Germany and is internationally renowned. As early as the 1990s, this department became the second neurosurgical center in the world to introduce the intraoperative MRI system, after Boston. In the early 2000s, they introduced intraoperative CT, continuing to lead in technological advancements.

The department currently operates three wards, each with approximately 20 to 25 beds. It is equipped with four exclusive operating rooms. The department performs about 4,000 neurosurgical surgeries annually, including around 2,000 spinal surgeries, 500 glioma resections, and 500 skull base tumor surgeries. Furthermore, the department boasts a specialized neurosurgical ICU with 11 beds. Unlike many institutions, where the ICU is typically managed by the anesthesiology department, the neurosurgical ICU here is managed entirely by the Department of Neurosurgery. It is overseen directly by an experienced and specialized team of consultants, ensuring continuous and specialized care for patients.

During the visit, two staffing roles left a strong impression on us. The first was the role of physician assistant, a position separate from both doctors and nurses. The physician assistant are trained to perform basic clinical tasks, such as drawing blood, dressing wounds, and managing drainage, effectively reducing the workload of residents. The second role was the patient management coordinator, primarily responsible for coordinating inpatient admissions, surgery arrangements, and other tasks after outpatient consultations. This position enables a centralized and more efficient handling of routine processes and communication with patients. This setup not only improves efficiency but also optimizes doctor-patient communication, enabling residents to focus more on clinical skill development.

This exchange was highly fruitful for us. Prof. Krieg’s team demonstrated a professional and open attitude towards Sino-German collaboration. Our on-site visit to the outpatient clinic, wards, intensive care unit and the operating room provided us with a comprehensive and firsthand understanding of the department’s high level of sophistication in organizational structure, professional task division, and clinical process management. Their continuous pursuit of clinical excellence, along with their meticulous approach to staffing and quality control, exemplifies a “patient-centered” philosophy of modern healthcare. These experiences and philosophies have provided us with valuable insights.

At 12:00 noon on June 2nd, the team of three from Gloryren arrived at the Heidelberg University Hospital to visit Prof. Auffarth, Director of the Department of Ophthalmology. 

His team had thoughtfully reserved a meeting room and prepared chocolates, biscuits, and coffee for our visit, demonstrating both warmth and attentiveness. The meeting room was adorned with many ancient books, some of which are even 400 years old. Prof. Auffarth shared with us that the Department of Ophthalmology at Heidelberg University Hospital has a history of 200 years and is one of the most prestigious and largest ophthalmology centers in Germany. The Department of Ophthalmology at Heidelberg University Hospital is not only one of the earliest university-affiliated ophthalmology departments in Germany, but also a leading clinical and research institution in Europe. It covers almost all subspecialties of ophthalmology, including cataract and refractive surgery, retinal diseases, glaucoma, corneal diseases, ocular tumors, and pediatric ophthalmology.

The department is equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment and boasts an international medical team. It is an important medical center for patients in Germany and Europe and also serves as a bridge for international academic exchanges. Prof. Auffarth himself has world - class influence in the fields of intraocular lens research and development and refractive cataract surgery. He told us that he has been supervising Chinese doctoral students for more than 20 years and has established stable cooperative relationships with many top university hospitals in China. Many of his students have become directors or held important positions at university hospitals after returning to China. When we introduced Gloryren’s German MD Program and Visiting Professor Program, Prof. Auffarth showed great interest.

He particularly values our ability to conduct professional pre-screening of doctoral candidates' educational backgrounds and language proficiency. He mentioned that there were cases where Chinese applicants he personally selected were ultimately rejected by the University of Heidelberg because their educational qualifications were not recognized by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB), which was very regrettable. He hopes that with our professional support, such situations can be avoided, and the overall application efficiency and success rate can be improved. He told us that there are two open positions in his lab every year, and would be happy to host possible candidates recommended by Gloryren. 

At the same time, he also confirmed that he will visit China in 2026 to participate in the 6th Sino-Euro Global Forum on Hospital Management, Specialty Construction & Talent Cultivation hosted by Gloryren. And he will visit China again in this summer and will attend Gloryren’s interview program - The World’s Great Doctors, sharing his valuable professional insights and life experiences with young Chinese doctors and peers.

At 13:30 on June 2nd, the team of three from Gloryren went to the Thoraxklinik University of Heidelberg to visit Prof. Herth, Medical Director of the hospital. Located in the tranquil Rohrbach district of Heidelberg, it is a specialized hospital for the treatment of lung diseases.

Prof. Herth personally welcomed us in his office. The walls of his office were adorned with numerous appointment certificates and awards from academic societies, institutions, and hospitals across Europe and China. He introduced to us that the Thoraxklinik Heidelberg, with a history of over 125 years, is one of the oldest and largest specialized hospitals for the treatment of lung diseases in Germany, and also is the largest medical center for lung diseases in Europe. The hospital receives approximately 70,000 patients annually, including 50,000 outpatients and 20,000 inpatients. The hospital has always focused on lung diseases, developing a highly specialized diagnosis and treatment system, which has facilitated long-term and stable partnerships with multiple top respiratory medicine centers in China.

Prof. Herth specifically shared that the hospital’s research primarily focuses on translational medicine—"using today's patient samples and data to develop treatment methods for the next generation of patients"—emphasizing that research should serve patient care. He also showed us the hospital’s certifications and honors awarded by professional societies in Germany and Europe.

As a globally recognized leading expert in respiratory endoscopy, Prof. Herth has long been deeply involving in promoting the respiratory endoscopy techniques around the globe and has actively collaborated with multiple top respiratory medicine centers in China, supporting numerous clinical research projects and technique introductions. With a great passion on medical education, he founded "Pulmonology on Air", an online medical education platform that regularly organizes public courses with experts from around the world. The Pulmonology on Air China Launch Event 2025 will start on June 13th, featuring live lectures by top Chinese and international pulmonologists to further deepen international medical exchanges.

After learning about our German MD Program and Fellowship Program, Prof. Herth highly recognized their value, describing the programs as well-structured and professionally organized. He also shared challenges encountered in past collaborations with Chinese hospitals. He hopes that partnering with Gloryren will enhance the efficiency and success rate of Sino-German exchanges.

We were pleased to agree that we will meet again in Beijing in early July this year.

At 16:30 of June 3rd, the team of three from Gloryren went to Heidelberg University Hospital to visit Prof. Zivanovic, Director of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and his team.

Ms. Önal, Prof. Zivanovic’s assistant, was waiting in the conference room, kindly preparing coffee, other drinks, and some sweet and savory snacks for us. Prof. Zivanovic attended the meeting with three fellows. After our brief introduction to Gloryren's background and cooperation model, Dr. Hermann and Dr. Köhler provided a detailed presentation on the structured fellowship program for gynecologic oncology.

This program focuses on the training of both clinical and research competencies in gynecologic malignancies and is open exclusively to certified specialist in gynecology. The total duration of the program is four years: in the first two years, fellows engage in research at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and participate in weekly multidisciplinary gynecologic tumor boards; in the last two years, they rotate in relevant clinical departments at Heidelberg University Hospital to comprehensively enhance their diagnostic and treatment skills for gynecologic malignancies. Prof. Zivanovic emphasized that this is a highly specialized training pathway that aligns with the current trend toward increasing "subspecialization" in medicine.

Since 2023, Prof. Zivanovic has served as the Director of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Heidelberg University Hospital. Before joining Heidelberg University Hospital, he practiced for many years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. With extensive international clinical and research experience, Prof. Zivanovic is dedicated to integrating advanced oncology treatment concepts into the practice of gynecology in Germany. The Center for Gynecological Cancer led by him is a high-level treatment and research center, certified by the German Cancer Society       (DKG). It focuses on the individualized treatment and comprehensive management of various gynecologic malignancies such as ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and cervical cancer, with a strong emphasis on precision medicine, innovative clinical pathways, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

During the meeting, Prof. Zivanovic highly acknowledged with the concept of Gloryren. He shared that in recent years, he has repeatedly noticed remarkable contributions from Chinese colleagues in the field of gynecologic oncology at international conferences, but due to the limited access, he found it difficult to have in-depth exchanges with them. Therefore, with the help of a professional institution like Gloryren, he has gained a strong sense of confidence and now holds high expectations for the collaboration. He hopes to establish more direct and in-depth exchanges with China via Gloryren in the future.

At 17:30 of June 2nd, the team of three from Gloryren visited the Heidelberg University Hospital to meet Prof. Wick, a Fellow of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Chairman of the German Science and Humanities Council (WR), Vice Dean of the Medical Faculty at the University of Heidelberg, Department Chair of Head Clinic of Heidelberg University Hospital and Chair of the Department of Neurology at Heidelberg University Hospital.

Despite just returning from a trip to Bonn, Prof. Wick kindly made time to meet us and thoughtfully prepared handmade macarons from a local bakery in Heidelberg, which deeply touched us.

During the meeting, Prof. Wick mentioned that last year, he accepted Doctor Liu from Capital Medical University as his MD doctoral student via Gloryren. Two weeks ago, Doctor Liu officially received funding confirmation from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and will join Prof. Wick’s team this October to start her doctoral studies. Prof. Wick also shared with us his team’s latest research progress in glioma. a cutting-edge interdisciplinary field of neuroscience and oncology. This project not only holds significant potential for clinical translation but will also lay a solid scientific foundation and provide a global perspective for doctor Liu’s future career development.

The Department of Neurology led by Prof. Wick is part of the Head Klinik of Heidelberg University Hospital and is one of Germany’s leading centers for neurological diagnosis, treatment and research. The department specializes in key fields such as neurooncology, stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, neuroimmunological diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. With around 340 staff members and 16 research groups, the department integrates patient care with scientific research, emphasizing the translation of basic research into clinical applications, demonstrating a high level of expertise and foresight.

This November, Prof. Wick will visit China to attend the Sino-Euro Global Forum on Hospital Management, Specialty Construction & Talent Cultivation 2025 as a member of the European Presidium. We look forward to meeting him again to further promote in-depth Sino-German exchanges and collaboration in medical research and talent training.