Medical Faculty Heidelberg

First of all, I would like to thank you for your interest in the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg, the oldest in Germany. The over 600 years of education and research in medicine have multiple implications for our faculty: tradition, experience, and a deep founded responsibility to conquer the incredible challenges that medicine of the 21st century presents.

The medical faculty has prepared itself for these challenges in multiple ways: the establishment of central scientific institutions, of focus points in research, and of internal promotion and support of innovative research groups. This all taking place in a very enlivening and interactive environment, surrounded by internationally recognized research institutions, such as the

  • German Cancer Research Center,
  • ZMBH,
  • Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center,
  • Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research and
  • The European Molecular Biology Laboratory
All of these things play their part in guaranteeing Heidelberg Medical School a continued place among internationally renowned educational and research institutions.

New structuring of the training of medical and dental students at our university, based on the close cooperation with national and international universities, has placed emphasis on small group lectures, a closer integration of our teaching hospitals, and the inclusion of general practitioners' practices in the medical education in Heidelberg. All of these things work together to promote our rising generation of medical professionals, making it possible for them to stand up to the challenges of the ever growing field of medical knowledge. The high standards in medical education and research here in Heidelberg, head to head with the newest developments, ultimately have the goal of maximal quality in patient care, harmonizing with the general goal of medicine that has spanned millennia: to heal diseases and to alleviate suffering.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Herzog