Walter Klepetko, thoracic surgeon and pioneer in the field of lung transplantation, receives the prestigious ELF Award from the European Lung Foundation (ELF). Klepetko receives the award for establishing an EU-wide training and exchange program
The European Lung Foundation (ELF), together with the European Respiratory Society (ERS), based in Lausanne (Switzerland), Sheffield (UK) and Brussels (Belgium), presents the annual ELF Award to recognize outstanding achievements in the field of lung health. This year’s award will be presented to Walter Klepetko during the ERS Congress (September 7-11 in Vienna, with 20,000 lung specialists from all’over the world).
The internationally renowned lung disease specialist and his team at the Medical University of Vienna have established one of the most successful EU-wide lung transplant programs, which has developed into Europe’s largest center for teaching and training in this field.
"The chances of receiving a lung transplant vary greatly in Europe. In some countries, lung transplantation was not an option for a long time," says Walter Klepetko, explaining the situation. Through a twice-yearly lung transplant academy and 6 to 12-month scholarships for intensive training at MedUni Vienna/University Hospital Vienna, Klepetko and his team have succeeded in strengthening international cooperation and thus saving the lives of many patients with severe lung diseases.
As a result, independent lung transplant programs have now been established in seven European countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and, most recently, Ukraine.
In this way, patients across borders and nationalities have access to this life-saving treatment in countries where transplantation was previously not possible.
About the person
Walter Klepetko was born in Vienna in 1955 and obtained his doctorate in medicine in 1978. The Professor of Thoracic Surgery has headed the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the Department of Surgery at MedUni Vienna/ University Hospital Vienna since 2010. In 2019, he took over as Head of the Department of Surgery until his retirement.
He specializes in bronchus carcinoma surgery, surgery for functional lung diseases, pulmonary hypertension surgery, lung transplantation and tracheal surgery. The father of two is past president of the European Association for Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and was the European representative on the board of the American Association of Thoracic Surgery (AATS). In 2014, he received the Grand Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria for his medical and scientific achievements. In 2015, he was awarded the City of Vienna Prize for Medical Sciences.
