Leadership
The COPDforum leadership is comprised of renowned researchers/clinicians in COPD, who have contributed significantly
to the developments in this field. This global group represents some of the world's thought leaders in this area,
who are prominent in respiratory publications, international and local societies and research initiatives. Click on the
links below to learn more about the COPDforum leadership.
Leadership
Tobias Welte
MD, PhD, Professor of Pulmonary Medicine
Germany
Place of work
Hannover University School of Medicine.
Experience
Tobias Welte is Professor of Pulmonary Medicine and Head of the Department of Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases at Hannover University School of Medicine. He received his doctorate in respiratory medicine from Hannover University in 1994 and his habilitation in 2000. He was previously Professor of Pneumology and Intensive Care Medicine, and a specialist in infectious diseases at the University of Magdeburg.
Until recently, Professor Welte was Head of the Respiratory Intensive Care Assembly and a member of the executive committee of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). He is currently Vice-President of the German Society of Sepsis and President of the German Society of Internal Intensive Care (DGIN). He also serves on the board of the German Society of Infectiology (DGI) and ‘Atemwegsliga’, and is a member of the working group on mechanical ventilation for the German Society of Critical Care (DIVI) and a member of the review panel of the German Research Foundation (DFG). In addition, he is an executive board member of the German Network for Community-acquired Pneumonia (CAPNET) and an advisory board member of the German Sepsis Network (SEPNET). As well as being on the editorial board of the European Respiratory Journal and Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease, he is editor of Der Pneumologe and Intensivmedizin Update, co-editor of Pneumologie und Intensivmedizin and European Respiratory Topic, and a reviewer for many other journals.
Professor Welte has published around 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and contributed chapters to over 30 books. Representative papers from 2007 and 2008 are listed below.
Recent publications
von Baum H, Ewig S, Marre R, Suttorp N, Gonschior S, Welte T, Lück C; Competence Network for Community Acquired Pneumonia Study Group. Community-acquired Legionella pneumonia: new insights from the German competence network for community acquired pneumonia. Clin Infect Dis 2008;46(9):1356–64.
Ewig S, Welte T. Biomarkers in the diagnosis of pneumonia in the critically ill: don't shoot the piano player. Intensive Care Med 2008;34(6):981–4.
Pletz MW, Maus U, Krug N, Welte T, Lode H. Pneumococcal vaccines: mechanism of action, impact on epidemiology and adaptation of the species. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2008 Mar 29. [Epub ahead of print]
Gillissen A, Buhl R, Kardos P, Puhan M, Rabe KF, Rothe T, Sauer R, Welte T, Worth H, Menz G. Trial end-point in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): minimal clinically important difference Pneumologie 2008;62(3):149–55.
Kruger S, Ewig S, Marre R, Papassotiriou J, Richter K, von Baum H, Suttorp N, Welte T the CAPNETZ study group. Procalcitonin predicts patients at low risk of death from community-acquired pneumonia across all CRB-65 classes. Eur Respir J 2008;31(2):349–55.
Welte T, Metzenauer P, Hartmann U. Once versus twice daily formoterol via Novolizer((R)) for patients with moderate to severe COPD-A double-blind, randomised, controlled trial. Pulm Pharmacol Ther 2008;21(1):4–13.
Welte T. Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: more a functional than an inflammatory problem? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008;177(2):130–1.
Kothe H, Bauer T, Marre R, Suttorp N, Welte T, Dalhoff K; the CAPNETZ study group. Outcome of CAP: influence of age, residence status, and antimicrobial treatment. Eur Respir J 2008;32(1):139–46.
Hoeper MM, Seyfarth HJ, Hoeffken G, Wirtz H, Spiekerkoetter E, Pletz MW, Welte T, Halank M. Experience with inhaled iloprost and bosentan in portopulmonary hypertension. Eur Respir J 2007;30(6):1096–102.
Groneberg-Kloft B, Fischer A, Welte T. Fixed combination therapies in COPD--effect on quality of life. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2007;2(4):551–7.
Kruger S, Papassotiriou J, Marre R, Richter K, Schumann C, von Baum H, Morgenthaler NG, Suttorp N, Welte T; CAPNETZ Study Group. Pro-atrial natriuretic peptide and pro-vasopressin to predict severity and prognosis in community-acquired pneumonia : Results from the German competence network CAPNETZ. Intensive Care Med 2007;33(12):2069–78.
Hoeper MM, Welte T, Tkacova R, Joppa P. Systemic Inflammation, COPD, and Pulmonary Hypertension. Chest 2007;131(2):634–5.