Technischen Universität München
Scientific work
After his education as a specialist in plastic surgery, Edgar Biemer began to shift his primary focus of interest to microsurgery. In 1975, he founded the first replantation center in Germany – the second in Europe – in the university hospital Klinikum rechts der Isar. For more than 40 years, Edgar Biemer developed innovative operative techniques in plastic surgery there. In the last 24 years, he has been director of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery at TUM, which became an internationally renowned center for non-attached tissue transplantation. As well as this, in 1998 he introduced plastic surgery to Tajikistan. Currently he is developing the plastic surgery infrastructure in Baku, Azerbaijan, and is active in educating the doctors there. Together with Dr Wolfgang Duspiva, he is the author of the first German textbook for reconstructive microsurgery, as well as a leading member of the most important international scientific societies for plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. In 2008, together with colleagues at the university hospital Klinikum rechts der Isar, he headed a team of 40 professionals that was successful in a pioneering achievement: the world’s first transplantation of two complete arms. In 2012, Edgar Biemer was awarded the Dieffenbach Medal – the highest honor that the German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgeons (Deutsche Gesellschaft der Plastischen, Rekonstruktiven und Ästhetischen Chirurgen) can confer on German national and international candidates.
Short biography
1959 – 1966Studies in medicine at the universities of Frankfurt, Vienna and London
until 1972Training as specialist in surgery, TUM; further training in centers of plastic surgery in Uppsala and Gothenburg, Sweden; the UK and USA
from 1973Department of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Surgery, TUM
1985Professor of plastic surgery, TUM
1986 – 2007Professor and director of the Department of Plastic surgery and Reconstructive Surgery, TUM
since 2008Group practice with Dr Peter Caspari, Munich
Memberships and honors
Establishment of the first replantation center at the university hospital Klinikum rechts der Isar (1975)
Founding member and first secretary of the German-speaking Working Group for peripheral nerve and vascular microsurgery (DAM) (1981-1985)
Secretary and president of the International Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery (ISRM), later the World Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery (WSRM) (1993-1995)
President of the German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (DGPRÄC) (1994-1995)
Founding member and first president of the Association of German Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (VDÄPC) (1995)
Establishment of the Association of Plastic Surgeons in Tajikistan (1998)
Honorary member of the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery (since 1992)
Honorary member of the Argentina Association of Orthopedics and Traumatology (since 1994)
Honorary member of the Indian Association of Surgeons (since 2002)
Honorary member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2002)
Honorary member of the of the DGPRÄC (since 2011)
Honorary member of the of the DAM Honorary member of the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India
Awards
Erich-Lexer-Prize from the German Society of Surgery (DGCH) (1997)
Honorary member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2002)
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Medal from TUM (2008)
Herbert-Höhler-Needle from the Association of German Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (VDÄPC) (2009)
Dieffenbach Medal from DGPRÄC (2012)
German Federal Cross of Merit (2014)