School of Medicine
Chair of Pneumology
Innovative research and clinical excellence in respiratory medicine
The Chair of Pneumology at Witten/Herdecke University is based at the Pulmonary Clinic of Cologne Merheim Medical Centre, part of Kliniken der Stadt Köln gGmbH. The Chair is held by the Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Professor Dr Wolfram Windisch.
As an organ centre, the Pulmonary Clinic is an interdisciplinary clinic comprising the departments of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery. It offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of all diseases of the chest, with the exception of the heart.
The clinic comprises the following centres and areas of specialisation:
- Non-invasive ventilation and weaning
- Quality of life and health care research in respiratory medicine
- ARDS and ECMO Centre, respiratory intensive care
- Lung Cancer Centre
- Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
- Rare and interstitial lung diseases
- COVID-19 and Long COVID
- Tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Centre
- Cystic fibrosis and non-CF bronchiectasis
- Diaphragmatic dysfunction.
Chief Physician and Chair Holder
Prof. Dr.
Wolfram Windisch
Chair Holder
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine) | Chair of Pneumology
Ostmerheimer Str. 200
51109 Köln
Research
The Chair of Pneumology, which specialises in respiratory failure and ventilatory medicine, is a centre for innovative research and clinical excellence. The Chair’s research activities focus on the development of new therapeutic approaches and technologies for the treatment of patients with acute and chronic respiratory failure.
Our main area of research is acute and chronic respiratory failure. In this context, members of the department play a leading role in the development of national and international guidelines (see staff profiles). Our research activities cover the entire field of respiratory medicine. Through the affiliated professorship in ECMO, the research group investigates innovative treatment options in intensive care medicine. The research group specialising in chronic respiratory failure, on the other hand, addresses all aspects of chronic respiratory failure, from diagnosis through to treatment. In addition to investigating the pathophysiological basis of these conditions, the focus is particularly on non-invasive respiratory medicine and health care research. To this end, the Chair of Pneumology collaborates both with various specialist pneumology clinics and with other departments such as neurology and infectious diseases.
Interstitial lung diseases are also a major focus at the Chair of Pneumology. An interdisciplinary team comprising pulmonologists and rheumatologists from affiliated hospitals deals with these conditions, some of which are extremely rare.
The Chair’s research activities are of great importance, as they not only improve our understanding of respiratory failure but also help to enhance the quality of life of affected patients and optimise treatment methods and care. Interdisciplinary collaboration with other departments and international research institutions plays a crucial role in this regard.
Our research topics in detail
- ARDS
- Respiratory physiology, pulmonary function testing, diaphragm assessment
- Out-of-hospital ventilation
- Respiratory medicine, monitoring and imaging in intensive care
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
- Diaphragmatic dysfunction
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Human brocavirus-associated lung diseases
- Interstitial lung diseases
- Coordination of the international project: Severe Respiratory Insufficiency Questionnaire (SRI)
- Quality of life and health care research
- New forms of treatment and management of diseases caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)
- Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA)
- Non-invasive ventilation
Current research projects
Publications
All publications by the Chair of Pneumology at UW/H are listed in the university bibliography.
Teaching
The staff and contract lecturers at the Pulmonary Clinic are actively involved in the process of further developing teaching at Witten/Herdecke University. Teaching therefore plays a particularly important role at the Pulmonary Clinic. Teaching for students at Witten/Herdecke University as part of the model medical degree programme takes place during the ‘Internal Medicine’ practical block, in collaboration with colleagues from Medical Clinic I.
In addition, the Pulmonary Clinic offers training opportunities for students in the form of clinical clerkships of all kinds and during the practical year (PJ).
Contact details for applications
Please send all applications to the Medical Director’s Secretariat of the Department of Respiratory Medicine:
Prof. Dr Wolfram Windisch
Secretariat: H. Schmidt
Ostmerheimer Straße 200
51109 Cologne
Tel.: +49 (0)221 / 8907-18929
Fax: +49 (0)221 / 8907-8305
Email: schmidthe@kliniken-koeln.de
Contact details for enquiries regarding teaching, doctoral studies and postdoctoral university lecturing qualifications
If you have any questions regarding the range of courses on offer, doctoral projects or postdoctoral university lecturing qualifications, please contact the department’s representatives:
Dr Maximilian Wollsching-Strobel, MD
Dr Daniel Majorski
Partnerships
The Pulmonary Clinic in Cologne-Merheim comprises the specialist departments of Thoracic Surgery, headed by Prof. Dr Stéphane Collaud, and Pulmonology, headed by Prof. Dr Wolfram Windisch. In addition, an oncology outpatient clinic is affiliated with the clinic, which, in combination with the various specialist outpatient clinics, enables holistic, interdisciplinary patient care and stimulates interdisciplinary research. We also welcome diverse and often interdisciplinary collaborations. Of particular note here are:
German Respiratory League (Deutsche Atemwegsliga e.V.)
Chair: Prof. Criée, Evangelical Hospital Göttingen–Weende / Medical Clinic, Department of Respiratory Medicine / Sleep Laboratory
German Society for Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine e.V.
Constance District Health Network, PD Dr Stephan Walterspacher, Constance Hospital, Department of Pneumology
Aachen University Hospital
Prof. Dr Michael Dreher, Department of Pneumology, Medical Clinic I
University of Bielefeld
Prof. Dr Bernd Schönhofer, Bethel Evangelical Hospital, Department of Pneumology
Faculty of Medical Sciences/UMCG, Groningen
Prof. Dr Peter Wijkstra, Research Institute for Asthma and COPD (GRIAC)
Porz am Rhein Hospital
Prof. Dr Johannes Strunk, Department of Rheumatology
The team at the Chair of Pneumology
Staff
Prof. Dr Christian Karagiannidis, MD (Senior Lead Consultant)
Areas of expertise: ARDS and extracorporeal lung support procedures
Dr Melanie Berger (Managing Senior Consultant)
Areas of expertise: Rare and interstitial lung diseases
PD Dr Friederike Magnet (Senior Consultant)
Areas of expertise: Long-term oxygen therapy and weaning
Prof. Tim Mathes, Dr rer. med.
Areas of expertise: Methodology, health care research
PD Dr Sarah Stanzel (née Schwarz) (Specialist)
Areas of expertise: Out-of-hospital ventilation and healthcare provision structures
Doreen Kroppen (Respiratory Therapist)
Areas of expertise: Out-of-hospital and non-invasive ventilation, health care research
Dr Daniel Majorski
Areas of expertise: Non-invasive ventilation, digital health/e-health
Dr Maximilian Wollsching-Strobel
Areas of expertise: Pulmonary function testing, COPD, digital health/e-health
Johanna Färber
Areas of expertise: Clinical trial coordination
Renata Venetska
Areas of expertise: Clinical trial coordination
Areas of expertise: Non-invasive ventilation, infectious diseases
Medical Director of the Respiratory Research Centre
Priv. Doz. Dr med. Sarah Bettina Stanzel
Email: sarah.stanzel@uni-wh.de
Areas of expertise: Out-of-hospital ventilation and care provision in respiratory medicine
Clinical Trials Coordination, Respiratory Research Centre
Doreen Kroppen
Email: doreen.kroppen@uni-wh.de