First joint appointment of the cooperation partners
Berlin, 01 October 2024
Leila Harhaus-Wähner was appointed Professor of Hand, Replantation and Microsurgery at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin on 1 October. The appointment was made jointly with the BG Klinikum Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin (ukb) and is associated with the management of the clinic for hand, replantation and microsurgery there. On the Charité side, the professorship is assigned to the Centre for Musculoskeletal Surgery (CMSC) in the Centre for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery.
The appointment of Prof Harhaus-Wähner deepens the cooperation between the two institutions and is the first of three planned joint appointments by Charité and ukb based on a cooperation agreement from May 2022.
Prof Harhaus-Wähner is a specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery with an additional qualification in hand surgery. She was most recently Chief Physician of the Department of Hand Surgery, Peripheral Nerve Surgery and Rehabilitation at the BG Klinik Ludwigshafen and Deputy Director of the Clinic for Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Centre for Severe Burn Injuries as well as Co-Head of the Upper Extremity Section at the Orthopaedic University Clinic in Heidelberg. At Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin, she is taking over the position of Chief Physician from Prof Andreas Eisenschenk, who is retiring.
The 44-year-old is looking forward to the move to Berlin and her new responsibilities at Charité and ukb: ‘The new clinic structure offers state-of-the-art opportunities for future-oriented development through the merger of strong partners, both clinically and in research and teaching. The specialist field of hand surgery with its broad spectrum – from simple finger fractures to paediatric malformations – thrives on collegial multidisciplinarity. The new structural link between the institutions provides the opportunity to offer hand surgery at and for Berlin at a top international level.’
Prof Harhaus-Wähner’s clinical expertise includes the treatment of acute injuries through to microsurgical and macrosurgical replantation and reconstruction of fingers, hand or arm. He also treats highly complex injuries to the brachial plexus and peripheral nerves, as well as severe paralysis in paraplegic injuries and spastic movement disorders in children and adults. She also specialises in the modern treatment of severe joint damage using 3D techniques as well as wrist and finger endoprostheses. ‘It is very important to me that we work in partnership with our patients and offer the best customised treatment for each individual.’
The research interests of the native of North Rhine-Westphalia include basic research into bone and nerve healing as well as healthcare research into the long-term effectiveness of clinical treatment and rehabilitation procedures: ‘The future of hand surgery lies in the close combination of modern and precise technology, regenerative medicine and healthcare research – where innovations not only restore hand function, but also sustainably optimise the quality of care and improve the quality of life of our patients by honestly looking at and evaluating our treatment results.’ The professorship is equally linked to teaching for students, postgraduate education and training as well as the promotion of young doctors and scientists: ‘Communicating the attractiveness of the specialist field to young medical professionals is very important to me, which is why I am committed to inspiring student teaching, working together with the specialist societies for structured training programmes and modern concepts to enable family and career.’ In addition, Prof Harhaus-Wähner attaches great importance to the topics of ecological responsibility and sustainability: ‘I see great urgency here and we hand surgeons can make a difference, because we often have short but many operations. This means that it makes a difference if we conserve resources, use alternative materials or anaesthetics and, where possible, use reusable instead of disposable materials or reduce special hospital waste by separating waste in the operating theatre. We can take inspiration here from other countries such as the Netherlands.’
Short vita
Leila Harhaus-Wähner was born on 11 April 1980 in Radevormwald. From 2000, she studied human medicine at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, where she also gained her doctorate in tissue engineering in 2006. She then worked as a junior doctor in Mönchengladbach, Göttingen and Ludwigshafen. After a one-year microsurgical fellowship in Taiwan, she became a specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery and senior physician at the Clinic for Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Centre for Severe Burn Injuries at the BG Klinik Ludwigshafen in 2013. In 2014, she obtained an additional qualification in medical quality management and habilitated in plastic surgery at the Ruprecht Karls University in Heidelberg. In 2016, she obtained an additional qualification in hand surgery and completed a part-time degree in health economics. She becomes Managing Senior Physician at the Ludwigshafen clinic in 2016 and Senior Consultant in 2020. In 2017, Leila Harhaus-Wähner was also awarded an adjunct professorship in plastic surgery at Ruprecht Karls University in Heidelberg. From January 2023, she will be Chief Physician of the Department of Hand Surgery, Peripheral Nerve Surgery and Rehabilitation at the Ludwigshafen BG Clinic and Deputy Director of the Clinic for Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Major Burn Centre and Co-Head of the Upper Extremity Section at Heidelberg Orthopaedic University Hospital.
Charité
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is the joint medical faculty of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. With around 100 clinics and institutes, it is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe. With 3,293 beds at its three clinical campuses, Charité treats around 788,000 outpatients and 138,000 inpatients and day patients in Berlin and Brandenburg every year.
Trauma Hospital Berlin
The BG Klinikum Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin (ukb) is a highly specialised clinical centre for the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured people from all over Germany. In specialised disciplines such as the treatment of burns, spinal cord and hand injuries, the ukb also occupies a leading position internationally. More than 100,000 patients are treated every year. The initial treatment of acutely injured or ill patients takes place in one of the largest and most modern rescue centres in Germany. The ukb is part of the BG Kliniken group of companies – the largest public hospital group in Germany. The BG Kliniken is run by the employers’ liability insurance associations and accident insurance funds