Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Adult Cardiac
Member Since: 1997
Biography:
Friedhelm Beyersdorf, born in 1954 went to Medical School from 1975 - 1981 in Frankfurt/M., Germany and included clinical clerkships at the Johns Hopkins University Baltimore and the Thomas Jefferson Medical College, Phildelphia. He passed the German and US Boards Part I and II and got `summa cum laude´ for his doctoral thesis in 1981 as well as an award for the best thesis at the Medical School of the J.W. Goethe-University Frankfurt/M. in 1981. He accomplished is postgraduate training in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in Frankfurt and his Research Training from 1984-1985 at the Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles with Dr. Gerald D. Buckberg. He passed the Boards of General, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery.
He was appointed full Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg in 1994 and served as the Chairman of the Department from 1994 - 2022. He developed his Department into one of the most busiest ones in Germany with finally 8 ORs and 4,500 cardiac and vascular cases/year, including the full spectrum of pediatric and adult cardiovascular surgery, heart, heart-lung and lung transplantations, mechanical circulatory assist devices and total artificial hearts, and a very busy aortic program. He received the title as Professor honoris causa in 2000 and Doctor honoris causa in 2008 and founded the Charity Organisation `Kinderherzen retten e.V.`(Save the Children´s Hearts) in 2002 and the Start-up Company `Resuscitec GmbH `from the University in Freiburg in 2010.
He served as the President of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG) from 2009 - 2011, as the Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EJCTS) and the Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ICVTS) from 2010 - 2020 and as the President of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) from 2021 - 2022. He received numerous national and international awards. In 2024 he was appointed Chairman of the EACTS Innovation Committee.
What Does the AATS Mean to You:
Professional and scientific exchange between North America and Europa and the worldwide cooperation with all cardiothoracic surgeons
My First Experience with AATS:
My research activities at the University of California in Los Angeles in 1984/1985 and the people who worked in the lab at that time intensified and expanded my personal contacts to the AATS.
Why I became an AATS member:
My membership in AATS was suggested by numerous surgeons, e.g., Hans-Georg Borst, Francis Robiscek, Peter Satter, Irving Kron. Through my membership, I have been able to establish further and closer links with numerous cardiac surgeons in many other countries
The most impactful presentation I have seen at an AATS meeting:
Buckberg GD: The Helix and the Heart. Basic Science Lecture at AATS Annual Meting 2001
The first presentation I gave is:
Beyersdorf F: Contrasting German and American Medical Education. Dpt. of Medical Education, Thomas Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, USA, August 10th, 1981
The first paper I had published is:
Beyersdorf et al.: Determination of maximal ischemic tolerance of the human heart by ultrastructural recording of the pre-ischemic degree of myocardial hypertrophy and degeneration. Ann Thorac Surg 1980; 356-63
I plan on becoming more involved in the organization through:
Intensify international cooperations
My career in CT Surgery was inspired by:
My first contact with thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery was in the mid-1970s and I was fascinated by the incredible possibilities of treating patients for whom there were no other therapies available at the time. I was inspired by surgeons like Peter Satter, Koppany Sarai, Gerald D. Buckberg and Denton Cooley."
My career in CT Surgery was inspired by:
My first contact with thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery was in the mid-1970s and I was fascinated by the incredible possibilities of treating patients for whom there were no other therapies available at the time. I was inspired by surgeons like Peter Satter, Koppany Sarai, Gerald D. Buckberg and Denton Cooley.
A significant case/patient interaction that impacted my career is:
First heart and first heart-lung transplantation in Freiburg and building a comprehensive program of mechanical circulatory support
The biggest impact my mentor had on my career is:
The training of important skills you must have as a cardiovascular surgeon and reseracher, i.e., accuracy, reliability, resilience, paying attention to all details, do not assume anything, but rather know everything
The topic most important to advancing the field of CT Surgery is:
Research and disruptive science
The most pressing issues impacting CT surgery are:
Artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, robotic surgery, improvements in the perioperative course
Advice for Trainees:
The famous three A: 1. be able, 2. be affable, 3. be available