Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schlomm is appointed as Director of Charité’s Department of Urology
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schlomm has been appointed W3 (tenured) Professor of Urology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. As part of his new role, he will also lead the Departments of Urology situated on Campus Charité Mitte and Campus Benjamin Franklin. As an expert on prostate health, Prof. Schlomm aims to establish highly specialized centers dedicated to individual pathologies. By doing so, he is hoping to further enhance both the quality of treatment delivered and the training of physicians.
Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in Germany, accounting for approximately 25% of all cancers in men. The disease is rarely found in men under 50, with the majority of cases diagnosed in men aged 60 and over. The focus of Prof. Schlomm’s clinical practice lies in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Over the course of his career, he has been able to specialize in new surgical techniques aimed at optimizing and maintaining the quality of life of patients post-surgery. He successfully developed a minimally invasive technique that reduces the risks of post-surgical incontinence – a much-dreaded consequence of surgery. “We are pleased to have been able to secure the appointment of such an outstanding specialist,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Frei, Medical Director at Charité. “Prof. Schlomm has been recognized as a highly respected expert in the field of urology for many years and represents a valuable addition to the Department.”
As both a clinician and a researcher, Prof. Schlomm wants to implement a new model for delivering medical care to patients across the metropolitan area and beyond. By placing the patient at the center of the Competence Network, he is hoping to promote a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to cancer care. Prof. Schlomm wants to forge strong links between the different specialties and, outlining his strategic plan, he says: “My vision is to develop Charité’s Urology division into an international reference standard for patient-centered, quality-focused medicine and research.”
In his research, Prof. Schlomm is committed to the study of gene therapy for use in the treatment of cancer. He is a project lead on studies conducted under the auspices of the world’s two largest genome research consortia, the ‘International Cancer Genome Consortium’ (ICGC) and ‘The Cancer Genome Atlas’ (TCGA). He sees his professional role as that of a translator between basic research and medical practice: “It is my aim to ensure we can harness the genetic foundations of cancer for both diagnosis and treatment,” explains Prof. Schlomm. He adds: “The genetic profiling of tumors now allows us to select targeted drug therapies that are based on the patient’s genetic makeup.” He is also hoping to further develop the research infrastructure at Charité. This includes establishing a research center dedicated to the study of gene-based medicine and its use in the treatment of urological cancers. “It is my hope that we will soon be able to perform complete genetic analyses of individual tumors and patients, and that treatments will then be individually tailored based on these genetic profiles,” he says.
Before his move to Berlin, Prof. Schlomm was a Senior Physician and Scientific Director at the Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center (University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, UKE) and Head of Section at the UKE’s Department of Urology. He completed his medical degree at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. His urology training was undertaken at both the UKE and at specialist centers in the United States of America.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schlomm
Director of the Department of Urology
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Tel: +49 30 450 515 002
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