People at the UW/H – Philipp Kofler: Responsibility grows through working together

At our UW/H, you’ll often find ways rather than excuses.

Philipp KoflerStudent Assistant, Department of Dentistry for People with Disabilities

Who are you and what do you do at the UW/H?

My name is Philipp Kofler, I am 28 years old and have been working at our UW/H since August 2019. Firstly, I work as an administrative assistant in the pre-clinical department of the School of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine . In this role, I provide administrative support to the training dentists in their teaching activities. Specifically, this means I order and manage consumables, organise loan instruments for students and provide administrative support with lesson planning.

I also work as a teaching assistant at the Endowed Chair for Dentistry for People with Disabilities. There, my responsibilities include the preparation and follow-up of studies, primarily in the field of health care research. Specifically, this means: I assist with the preparation of ethics applications, record and analyse study data, and provide administrative support for the planning of conference papers.

What do you particularly enjoy about your work, and which projects or topics are you currently working on?

I particularly enjoy the daily interactions with a wide variety of people as part of my teaching duties. It is a fulfilling feeling to be able to support so many people in their studies.

Furthermore, I am enthusiastic about working on various dental research projects focusing on healthcare provision for people with disabilities. This field of research is unique in Germany in this form. It is a privilege for me to be able to contribute to this small and specialised field. Finally, it is worth mentioning that I myself have a physical disability and can therefore empathise well with the concerns of people with disabilities.

What are your hopes for the future at the UW/H, and is there anything you would like to change?

For our shared future at UW/H, I hope that we can consolidate and sustainably expand our social responsibility as a university towards society, even in these challenging times. For me, UW/H should continue to be a place of learning, progress and interaction.

What do you get up to when you’re not working at UW/H?

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. At the weekend, I’m a passionate follower of the Bundesliga. Unusually for the Ruhr region, my footballing heart beats for FC Bayern Munich.

What is the most curious or remarkable thing you have ever experienced at UW/H?

What I find remarkable are the diverse and often very personal encounters – from the warm service in the cafeteria, for example from Olga, through the strong sense of camaraderie amongst colleagues, to a distinct ‘can-do’ mentality. At our UW/H, we often find ways rather than making excuses.