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On March 23, 2023, Science Minister Petra Olschowski visited the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and the Faculty of Medicine - University of Freiburg as part of her inaugural visits to the state's university medical institutions

Topics included virtual reality in cardiac medicine, cutting-edge research for newborns and innovative training concepts

On Thursday, March 23, 2023, Minister of Science Petra Olschowski visited the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and the Faculty of Medicine - University of Freiburg. The main topics were the digitalization of university medicine, cutting-edge research projects, support for young scientists and the further development of education. At the Bad Krozingen campus of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Olschowski gained an insight into how virtual reality can make cardiac interventions even safer in the future. At the central campus in Freiburg, following keynote speeches - including one on immune research in newborns - the Science Minister met with researchers and visited a state-of-the-art research laboratory. She controlled a surgical robot and learned how the quality of medical treatments will be automatically recorded and monitored in real time in the future. Finally, Minister Petra Olschowski spoke with nursing care trainees and medical students about their experiences on interprofessional school wards and discussed what is needed for even better training.

Minister Petra Olschowski said: "The Medical Center - University of Freiburg and the Faculty of Medicine - University of Freiburg contribute to the strength of Baden-Württemberg as an internationally visible health location through research, training and patient care at the highest level. In Freiburg and Bad Krozingen, I was able to see for myself how important cooperation across disciplines and locations is in order to promote innovation. Patients in particular also benefited from this. I am very grateful to the University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine for their commitment and innovative approach to recruiting young talent in science and healthcare."

"We are delighted that we were able to welcome Minister Olschowski to Freiburg. We were able to impressively demonstrate that university medicine is a central pillar of the research landscape and patient care in Baden-Württemberg. In the future, we must work together to further expand the central and coordinating role of the university hospitals in order to strengthen Baden-Württemberg as a healthcare location overall," says Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chief Medical Officer of Uniklinik Freiburg.

"Last year, our scientists raised more than 100 million euros in third-party funding for the first time, continuing the very positive development of recent years. This shows that Medical research and teaching are proven to be strong in Freiburg. Everyone involved benefits from the close integration of research, teaching and patient care at the University Medical Center. Nevertheless, we must not let up and, with the support of the state, we must continue to make the research and teaching conditions fit for the future," says Prof. Dr. Lutz Hein, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine - University of Freiburg and member of the board of the Uniklinik Freiburg.

Virtual reality for heart surgery

During her visit, Olschowski saw for herself the possibilities offered by virtual reality (VR) in the field of cardiac medicine. Here, experts from radiology, cardiology and cardiac surgery can view three-dimensional images of the heart and make joint decisions on whether the procedure should be minimally invasive or open surgery. Thanks to new digital processing methods, the computer tomographic images are of photorealistic quality.

Robots for safe surgery

In the operating room, the Minister controlled an assistant robot and learned how patients at Uniklinik Freiburg, one of the largest centers for robotic surgery in Baden-Württemberg, benefit from the use and further development of the new technology. Blood loss during the operation is minimal and recovery is quick and uncomplicated in the vast majority of cases. In future, microphones and cameras will be used to automate all surgical documentation and introduce real-time quality control.

Immune research in newborns

In keynote speeches, scientists and physicians from the Uniklinik and the Faculty of Medicine presented immune research in newborns and reported on the genetic search for new therapeutic target structures. Minister Petra Olschowski also gained an insight into projects that are already using virtual reality in university teaching, for example to practice emergency scenarios. The panel also discussed the opportunities and challenges of a medical career between research and patient care at a university hospital.

Innovative impulses in nursing training

Finally, nursing care trainees and medical students spoke to the Minister of Science about how they work closely with various professional groups on interprofessional school wards, how they take responsibility for patient care and organize the processes on the ward. They also discussed training and study conditions in general.

Picture captions:
Image 1: Science Minister Petra Olschowski was given 3D insights into how cardiac procedures can be prepared and planned virtually at the Uniklinik.
Image 2: Science Minister Petra Olschowski in conversation with Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chief Medical Officer of Uniklinik Freiburg, (right) and Prof. Dr. Christopher Schlett, Head of Thoracic Imaging, about how innovative imaging can make heart and vascular procedures safer.
Image 3: Science Minister Petra Olschowski was able to test for herself what it feels like to control a surgical assistant robot.
Image 4: Science Minister Petra Olschowski in conversation with nursing trainees and medical students about new forms of interprofessional training.
Image rights: Medical Center - University of Freiburg