Today, November 25th, 2020, EDU’s Founding Dean of the EDU Faculty of Medicine and Health, Prof. Andreas Hoeft, MD, PhD, passed away.
While he had numerous accomplishments before founding EDU, we think of him as our Founder and first Dean for the Faculty of Medicine, a man whose vision and indifference to the conventional spurred him to push medical education into the 21st century.
Andreas Hoeft was born on 22.10.1954 in Bielefeld and studied Human Medicine from 1974-1979 at the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster. In 1980, he received his doctorate at the Radiological Clinic of the Westphalian Wilhelms-Universität Münster. He worked at the Centre for Physiology and Pathophysiology until 1986, the Department of Experimental Cardiology, University of Göttingen (Director: Prof. Dr. med. H.J. Bretschneider) and habilitated there in 1986 in physiology. From 1986-1991 he worked in the Centre for Anaesthesiology, Rescue and Intensive Care Medicine of the University Hospital Göttingen. In 1991, Prof. Hoeft received recognition as a specialist for anaesthesiology, followed in 1997 by a specialist recognition for physiology. Subsequently, he worked in the Department of Anaesthesiology as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, Health Science Centre in Houston and habilitated for a second time in 1992 at the University of Göttingen in the field of Anaesthesiology. In 1993, he became a senior physician at the Göttingen Centre for Anaesthesiology, Rescue and Intensive Care Medicine and Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Texas, Health Science Centre in Houston.
After this series of international roles, Prof. Hoeft made the University of Bonn his home in 1995, with an appointment to the chair of anaesthesiology and operative intensive care medicine, when he became director of the local Clinic for Anaesthesiology. In 2001, he has also become a member of the board of directors of University Hospital Bonn and Deputy Medical Director.
Throughout his life, Prof. Hoeft was involved in numerous areas of association politics at the European level: Between 2002-2009 he was Council Representative for Germany in the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA), and in 2009 became a Member of the ESA Research Committee. Here, he had a lasting influence on the development of ESA as a Board Member and Secretary-General (2010- 2013). In this capacity, he played a significant role in the adoption of the “Declaration of Helsinki” by ESA and UEMS. Since 2010, Prof. Hoeft has been also Chairman of the ESA Research Committee. In recognition of his contribution, the ESA has honoured Prof. Hoeft with a touching In Memoriam here.
In Germany, Prof. Hoeft was a member of the Review Board 205 from 2004-2007. He gained repute as a reviewer of renowned scientific journals such as Anaesthesiology, European Journal of Anaesthesiology, and Intensive Care Medicine. Moreover, Prof. Hoeft is the owner of several patents and published more than 2,000 papers in international and international reviewed journals.
In 2010, Prof. Hoeft succeeded Prof. Dr. J. Scholz as head of the Congress Commission of the German Anaesthesia Congresses (DAC). The German Society for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine awarded Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Hoeft with the DGAI gold honorary needle in recognition for his outstanding commitment to the field, in particular for the further development and professionalization of the scientific congress programme and his commitment to the European Anaesthesiology.
Since 2015, Prof. Hoeft worked with catalytic energy and dedication to bring this innovative idea of a digital medical school -EDU- to life and inspired many of us to join his journey. As a co-founder, Prof. Hoeft assembled EDU’s Founding Faculty and brought his vision of modernizing education to fruition. In July of 2020, he retired from Bonn University and assumed the position of Dean of EDUs Faculty of Medicine and Health. He served diligently in this role until his last days.
EDU mourns his loss and will keep his legacy alive.
