The PMC Conference 2025: Inspiring and Pioneering

Dr. Paul Schuh, Dr. Christoph Wenninger

Afterwards, implantologist Dr. Christoph Wenninger und Zahnarzt Dr. Paul Schuh, welche Möglichkeiten Digitalisierung in ihrem Bereich eröffnet: Neue bildgebende Verfahren führen in der funktionellen wie in der ästhetischen Zahnmedizin zu deutlich mehr Präzision, Sicherheit und Komfort – für PatientInnen wie BehandlerInnen.

Diese ersten Insights lieferten schon Stoff für lebhafte Diskussionen beim anschließenden Dinner im Restaurant Gasthof zur Weissach.

Der Samstagmorgen startete mit einer Keynote von Amanda Cardwell Carones. Die Mitgründerin von „Ophtalpreneurs“, einer Community für Fachleute im Bereich privater Augenheilkunde. Ihr Thema: „Praxisstrategie & Patientenbindung“. Ihre Message: „Put yourself in your patients‘ shoes and break free from status quo“.

Anschließend stellten sich drei neue Fachrichtungen im Premium Medical Circle vor: Kardiovaskuläre Medizin, Moderne Bauchchirurgie und Psychische Gesundheit.

Für den ersten Bereich gab Herzchirurg PD Dr. Ferdinand VogtDr. Vogt, senior consultant cardiac surgery at Artemed Klinikum München Süd, provides an insight into the new developments in his field. Among others, the minimally invasive, catheter-based therapies for heart valve defects (e.g. the TAVI procedure), which are often performed "off-pump" on the beating heart today. This minimizes risks, shortens intensive care and hospital stays, and speeds up recovery. Because, according to Vogt, the most important thing is to reintegrate the patient into everyday life as quickly as possible.

This is also the goal of an innovative hospital program that Prof. Dr. Franz Bader, Medical Director of Isarklinikum München, presented in his lecture "ERAS meets Robotics". ERAS stands for "Enhanced Recovery After Surgery". The idea: With the help of multimodal, interdisciplinary concepts, rehab begins before the surgery, so that patients go into the procedure as fit as possible.

"Better in, better out" is the motto. Robotics also contributes to this. More precisely: robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery. It allows surgeons to work with extreme precision because even the slightest normal human tremor is filtered out. Furthermore, the fine robotic arms that virtually extend the doctor's hands can operate in the tightest spaces and in all directions. This results in more gentle operations, positively affecting recovery. Despite all the support from AI and robotics, as both speakers emphasized, one thought must always be at the top of the list: care.

Care also means taking care of mental health. Because the proportion of mental illnesses in work disabilities has doubled since 2000, as the speakers from the mental health field Prof. Dr. Andreas Menke (Medical Director of the Psychosomatic Clinic Medical Park Chiemseeblick) and trauma expert Prof. Dr. Roland Weierstall-Pust reported.

The topic of her lecture: "Precision Medicine in the Treatment of Mental Illnesses". There are interesting approaches here, such as genetic diagnostics, which allow for extremely precise pharmacotherapy. AI will also play a larger role in all areas: Whether in speech analysis and emotion recognition, digital simulations of hallucinations, AI-supported therapies, or text analysis of medical reports.

The lecture “Optical Illusions in Plastic Surgery” by Dr. Caroline Kim. Using examples from gestalt therapy, she illustrated how easily the eye can be deceived. And how plastic surgery can take advantage of this. Because sometimes a small intervention in one area can lead to a significant optical improvement in another area – for example, because it optimizes symmetry. The takeaway: Changing perspectives and proceeding step by step are worthwhile.

Interesting insights and aspects were provided by the lectures with which the conference partners Doctolib and Avea introduced themselves. Avea is dedicated to optimizing the healthspan – how to live healthier for longer – through scientifically-based supplements.

The Doctolib platform now supports almost half a million healthcare professionals across Europe with digital solutions in their daily work – every fourth German now also manages their doctor appointments through the portal. But there are still more effective solutions being developed for health teams and patients.

At the end of an informative day, an exciting topic was still on the agenda: future medicine. In his keynote, Thomas Schulz, bestselling author and Silicon Valley expert, provided insight into the current state of tech research. And how, in the not-too-distant future, it aims to conquer diseases and extend our lives. One thing is for sure: today's state is already outdated.

What a journey! That’s how Prof. Dr. Dominik Pförringer, who, as always, skillfully and pointedly guided through the program, summed up the conference days. An interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and many valuable impulses, as the members of the Premium Medical Circle always want to set together. And plenty of topics for conversation at the festive closing dinner at Freihaus Brenner at Tegernsee. Here, enjoyment was not neglected either – also an expression of (self-)care. A network idea can hardly be lived more beautifully.