In 2008, Semmelweis University signed an agreement with the Asklepios Clinics Group, one of the largest clinic networks in Germany, which resulted in the creation of the Asklepios Campus Hamburg (ACH), a bi-national faculty within the Faculty of Medicine (ÁOK). After the first two years of theoretical education, students in the German-language program can continue their studies at ACH in Hamburg from the third year.
At the graduation ceremony, Zoltán Vad, Deputy Head of Mission and host of the event, gave a welcome address, after which Dr. Karl J. Oldhafer, Rector’s Commissioner and Dean’s Commissioner of ACH, congratulated the graduates of the 13th year. In addition to Dr. Karl J. Oldhafer, Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University; Dr. Péter Nyirády, Dean of ÁOK; and Dr. Veronika Müller, Vice-Dean of ÁOK and Rector’s Commissioner for the clinical affairs of international students, conferred the Doctor of Medicine degrees on the students.
For the first time in ACH’s history, the best graduating students, Dr. Jana Lissa Schon and Dr. Jakob Manfred Schaefer, were honored with certificates for their outstanding achievement.
Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University, welcomed the newly graduated doctors and congratulated them on their medical degrees. “For you, dear graduates, newly graduated doctors of the Medical Faculty of Semmelweis University’s Asklepios Campus Hamburg, an era is coming to an end once and for all, and a new era is about to begin. The university years are over – but you cannot sit back and relax because the years of learning never come to an end. This is because we doctors can only be the best we can be if we constantly nurture, update, and expand our knowledge,” he noted. Dr. Béla Merkely added:
With your diplomas in hand, you already know and feel exactly what your teachers and mentors have repeatedly stressed throughout your studies: being a doctor is not just a profession. It is a vocation that is literally about life, for a lifetime.
Dr. Holger Maul, Head Physician for obstetrics and prenatal medicine at Asklepios Kliniken Barmbek, Nord-Heidberg und Wandsbek, was honored at the ceremony and appointed department group leader and subject leader at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Asklepios Campus Hamburg. His colleague, Dr. Thorsten Hanke, Head Physician for cardiac surgery at Asklepios Klinikum Hamburg, was appointed subject leader at the ACH’s Cardiac Surgery Department.
The graduates were also welcomed by Dr. Thorsten Thiel, Managing Director of Asklepios Medical School GmbH. “As the graduating class of 2024 at Semmelweis University’s Asklepios Campus Hamburg, you, dear newly graduated doctors, can expect special challenges in your medical work,” he said. As he pointed out, advances in digitalization, the diverse applications of artificial intelligence, the high demands on personal knowledge management, and the ever-changing policy framework all mean that new graduates face many tasks in their daily clinical practice and medical research. “All this may seem overwhelming at first. But I am confident that you will all rise to these challenges very well,” he said.
At the end of the event, the new doctors, together with the university leadership and ACH staff, walked to the Brandenburg Gate for a group photo, where the 53 new medical doctors threw their hats in the air.
Since the establishment of ACH, Semmelweis University’s affiliated campus in Germany, 2500 young German-speaking students have received their medical degrees.
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As Dr. Béla Merkely emphasized in his statement to the Hungarian News Agency Corp. (MTI) in Berlin: “It is a source of pride for us that interest in the program remains high to this day. This shows that a Hungarian diploma, particularly the one from Semmelweis, is highly valued worldwide.”
Judit Szlovák, Directorate of International Relations
Translation: Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Christian Bruch – Asklepios Campus Hamburg
