Prof. Dr. med. Carina Riediger, MSc

In addition, she was able to gain further international expertise through scientific collaborations in Japan, France, and Norway. In her new position in Stuttgart, the native of Reutlingen is not only back in her old homeland but can shape the traditional house according to her ideas – and, in addition to the existing professional competence, give it an even more modern medical orientation.

Prof. Dr. Riediger's surgical spectrum is broad – but the main focus is on oncological visceral surgery, particularly liver surgery. The fascination for the field was sparked early on by her first mentor, the Tübingen immunologist and hepatologist Prof. Berg. Here, too, a circle closes: The Marienhospital is a teaching hospital of the University of Tübingen. Because even as a clinic head and practicing surgeon, she remains an engaged scientist – researching, for example, in the field of molecular genetic tumor analysis on questions like: Which patients benefit from surgery and which do not? Which patients benefit from which chemotherapy? The goal is to collect as much data as possible to further improve surgical techniques and oncological concepts. This means: To filter out the most optimal therapy for each patient.

A current research project in the field of augmented reality on the topic of image guidance in liver surgery was recently published. Another project involves the intraoperative conduct of "optical biopsies": "We have developed a system to obtain real-time information about the resection margins during oncological liver operations through optical biopsies during surgery. This could potentially replace intraoperative frozen section diagnostics."

The next generation of medical professionals has always been close to her heart. In addition to teaching students and supervising many doctoral candidates, she initiated a junior symposium during her time as a senior consultant in Dresden. A task she continues with great passion at the teaching hospital of the University of Tübingen. She also established an internal PJ curriculum at the Marienhospital to ensure the process is as structured as possible for future colleagues.

In the clinic, Prof. Dr. Riediger is driven by a vision: "I want to further improve medical care and establish visceral-oncological surgery at the Marienhospital as a powerful center." An important step into the future was the introduction of robot-assisted surgery. With the help of these systems, operations can be performed particularly precisely, gently, and safely in many areas. She is also advancing the introduction of the Fast-Track/ERAS program (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) – an evidence-based concept that is increasingly being established in clinics and allows for improved and faster recovery after surgery. Interdisciplinary measures interact to ensure that patients go into surgery as fit as possible and guarantee an optimal course of treatment afterwards. This also corresponds to her aspiration always to offer the best possible healing option.

In addition to the innovative surgical procedures, the doctor focuses on the further development of care structures: Certified centers are to be created that specialize in specific conditions – to open targeted pathways for patients. "It is still too often said that it is not curable anymore – for example, when liver metastases are present," she explains. "In recent years, a lot has changed, and much more is possible – especially in interdisciplinary therapy, in the interaction of chemotherapy and surgery. It is always astonishing how much is now possible in the field of liver surgery, even through minimally invasive and robotic procedures." Her mission is for those affected, even with serious illnesses, to present themselves in hospitals – preferably more rather than less – so that a healing option may perhaps be offered to them from a surgical standpoint.

To improve processes, there is now a central patient management and oncological specialist consultations in the surgery department at the Marienhospital. The further development of the clinic is the task for which Prof. Dr. Riediger gives everything every day. Purposeful, direct, and authentic. But there is another decisive factor: her passion for medicine. "I enjoy and take great pleasure in shaping this department according to my ideas and making it fit for the future," she says.