The old boss is the new one: For nearly six years, Professor Dr. Christian Mühlfeld has served as the acting director of the Institute of Functional and Applied Anatomy at Hannover Medical School (MHH). As of December 1, 2024, he has officially taken over as Director. While at first glance, this change may seem minor, it brings something crucial to the institute: planning security. This applies not only to personnel decisions but also to research, teaching, and institutional structure. “Now I can offer my team long-term perspectives and initiate many projects focused on the future,” Professor Mühlfeld explains. He intends to broaden the scope of lung research, incorporating not only disease causes and progression but also a biographical approach to lung health—considering the development of the respiratory system, the impact of dietary habits and physical activity, and the implications for future generations. “This is a transgenerational approach, where we examine the lungs throughout a person’s entire lifespan and beyond,” explains the BREATH researcher.

Switching to Medicine out of a Love for Anatomy
Anatomy has fascinated him since his early days as a biology student in Kiel, where he voluntarily attended lectures in the subject before deciding to switch to medicine. He was drawn to structural aspects, he recalls—the direct access to the human body, the holistic perspective, and the hands-on work with specimens and microscopes. His special interest has always been in the lungs. Again, this interest stems from structure. “In the lungs, structure and function are closely intertwined,” he explains. The organ’s architecture directly reflects its functional state: the more alveoli are functioning, the better respiration works. “Moreover, microscopy allows one to appreciate the beauty and aesthetics of the body’s construction.”

Closing a Gap in Lung Research
His journey in lung research led him from Göttingen and Bern to Justus Liebig University in Giessen. In 2011, the native of Siegen joined MHH. Just a year later, he became involved as a researcher at the German Center for Lung Research (DZL). Together with colleagues and the team from Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, he established the Imaging platform at the BREATH site. Professor Mühlfeld and his research group contribute their expertise to various DZL research projects, both at MHH and at other DZL locations, playing a key role in uncovering lung diseases and their causes through interdisciplinary collaboration.
In 2019, he took on the role of acting director of the institute at MHH and became the scientific head of the Central Research Facility for Electron Microscopy. In 2021, using electron microscopy, he and his team successfully identified human lipofibroblasts for the first time. Previously, these specific connective tissue cells had only been described in rodent lungs, and their existence in the human lung remained controversial. However, to translate findings from animal models to humans, cell types and signaling pathways must align. Professor Mühlfeld’s team thus closed a crucial gap in lung research.

Modernizing Structures
In his new role, Professor Mühlfeld not only aims to advance lung research and establish new research collaborations but also to modernize the institute’s structures. “We want to renovate the microscopy hall and also update the dissection facility where our students learn anatomical dissection on donated bodies,” he explains. Another important project is the reconstruction of the anatomical collection. This will be carried out according to modern ethical and didactic principles, providing interested visitors with explanations and deeper insights into the anatomical specimens.

Bringing More Anatomy into Teaching
The new institute director is also focused on teaching. His commitment to educating future doctors is highly appreciated by students. In 2023, the General Student Committee awarded the top three teaching prizes for the first year of study to Professor Mühlfeld and his team. He also received recognition for the module Anatomical Foundations of Medicine. However, for later years of study, anatomy did not receive any awards—inevitably, as the subject is only part of the curriculum in the first year. “This is not very sustainable,” Professor Mühlfeld regrets. “Knowledge of anatomy is fundamental to medicine and is required in every clinical examination,” he emphasizes. His vision: integrating anatomical content into later years of study, for example, through ultrasound training on live subjects in the SkillsLab or refresher lectures in the auditorium.
One thing is certain: starting April 1, Professor Mühlfeld will be dealing even more intensively with teaching matters—as the new Dean of Studies at MHH.

We wish Professor Mühlfeld great success in his new position and are delighted about the strengthening of lung research at MHH and BREATH.

Text: Kirsten Pötzke

Photo: Karin Kaiser/ MHH