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Medical Center – University of Freiburg Honors Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gerok on His 100th Birthday: Liver Center and Award Commemorate His Work

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gerok’s birth, the Medical Center – University of Freiburg honors a physician and scientist who shaped the field of hepatology in Freiburg and beyond for many decades. Gerok, who passed away in 2021, served as Chief Medical Officer of the Medical Center – University of Freiburg from 1987 to early 1993. To this day, his name remains closely associated with liver research and patient care in Freiburg.

“Wolfgang Gerok provided important impetus for liver research far beyond Freiburg,” says Prof. Dr. Tobias Böttler, Director of the Gerok Liver Center at the Department of Medicine II at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg. “With the Gerok Liver Center, an interdisciplinary facility at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg bears his name, representing the close collaboration of many departments.”

His name stands for liver research and the promotion of young talent

Hepatologists, gastroenterologists, radiologists, nuclear medicine specialists, and surgeons have been working closely together at the Liver Center of the Medical Center – University of Freiburg for many years. The goal is rapid and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases. In 2016, the Liver Center was renamed the “Gerok Liver Center” in honor of Wolfgang Gerok.

His name is also enshrined in the German Research Foundation (DFG): As a member of the Senate and later Vice President of the DFG, Wolfgang Gerok made a significant contribution to improving clinical research in Germany. The lasting impact of this initiative is still evident today in the name of the DFG Gerok Positions. These allow physicians to take a temporary leave of absence from clinical duties so they have more time for research in the laboratory.

The Wolfgang Gerok Prize also commemorates Gerok’s scientific work. It has been awarded every two years since 2022 during the Gastroenterology Seminar Week in Titisee. The prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, honors exceptional achievements in research and teaching in the field of clinical hepatology. 

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