By renaming its research award, the DSG honors Prof. Dr. Tobias Welte for his outstanding achievements in sepsis research, his many years of dedicated service on the society’s executive board, and his significant contributions to the field of infectious medicine in Germany.

“Tobias Welte has profoundly shaped the work of the German Sepsis Society over many years – scientifically, organizationally, and personally. By naming the research award after him, we pay tribute to an exceptional scientist and a long-standing companion,” said Prof. Dr. Frank Brunkhorst, member of the advisory board and managing director of the DSG.

The award was presented to a study that elucidated the life-saving mechanism of dexamethasone in COVID-19 and identified new avenues for personalized treatment of inflammatory diseases. Tobias Welte, who played a key and influential role during the COVID-19 pandemic both in science and policy, would have been particularly pleased to see this important work honored.

The list of authors of the awarded publication also includes several researchers from the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) and the CAPNETZ Study Group – two institutions that Professor Welte was instrumental in founding and shaping.

Awarded Original Publication: The life-saving benefit of dexamethasone in severe COVID-19 is linked to a reversal of monocyte dysregulation.
Rainer Knoll, Elisa Helbig et al.; Cell (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.014

Text: BREATH/ AZ

Photos: Portrait: MHH/Karin Kaiser; Awardceremony: Benedikt Siegler, DSG