Dec 01, 2025
Research and teaching for a strong network of family doctors: 15 years of general medicine at TUD's Faculty of Medicine
Team of the General Medicine department at TU Dresden's Faculty of Medicine.
For 15 years, the General Medicine department at TU Dresden's Faculty of Medicine has played a decisive role in shaping research, teaching, and continuing education in Saxony. Starting out as a small unit in 2010, the department is now an interdisciplinary center with over 20 employees from the fields of medicine, public health, sociology, and psychology. The research results are directly incorporated into the curriculum and into continuing medical education, thereby improving care in both urban and rural areas. Through its participation in leading-edge projects such as MiHub (analysis and optimization of patient pathways for lung cancer), DIAMANT (development and testing of an evidence-based toolkit for improving thyroid diagnostics), and the Saxon general medical research practice network SaxoN, as well as other strong networks, the General Medicine department aims to continue shaping the future of family medicine: practical, patient-centered, and scientifically sound.
General medicine is the backbone of medical care in Germany. In view of the shortage of family doctors, demographic developments, and the increase in chronic diseases, research in this area plays a key role. The General Medicine department at TU Dresden's Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine combines clinical research with the reality of healthcare provision: from analyzing family doctors' decision-making processes and discontinuing unnecessary medication (“deprescribing”) to innovative concepts for social participation for people with dementia. These research approaches show how scientific findings can directly improve patients' quality of life. Since 2011, research has been conducted in various projects and in collaboration with national and international partners, funded primarily by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), the Federal Ministry of Research (now BMBFTR), the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), the German Research Foundation (DFG), and the Free State of Saxony.
Prof. Antje Bergmann
“We are researching the reality of healthcare provision where it is provided every day: in the family doctor’s offices,” says Prof. Antje Bergmann, head of the General Medicine department since its founding in 2010. “Our goal is to gain insights that directly support doctors in their work and thus improve patients’ safety and quality of life.”
Along with the institutes for general medicine at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and the University of Leipzig, the Dresden team is working to establish a Saxony-wide research practice network, SaxoN for short. In collaboration with medical care providers, they aim to establish a sustainable infrastructure that enables physicians and medical staff to address research questions arising from their everyday practice in order to improve medical care. Projects such as “Delta-PIA,” which investigates the reduction of unnecessary thyroid hormone therapies, and “Erinnerungs_reich,” which tests social participation as a therapeutic approach for dementia patients, are examples of how diverse and socially relevant research in the field of general medicine actually is.
Another focus is research into everyday practice in general medicine to provide more evidence for teaching and research, but also as a basis for political policy decisions. The Saxon Epidemiological Studies in General Medicine (SESAM) investigate issues such as decision-making and problem-solving in family doctor 's offices, and the occurrence and frequency of chronic diseases over the last 20 years.
“General medicine in Dresden is a prime example of translational research, from gaining knowledge to practical application,” emphasizes Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of TU Dresden’s Faculty of Medicine. “It illustrates how university medicine extends beyond the boundaries of the clinic and makes a direct contribution to safeguarding healthcare provision.”
“Research in general medicine has a direct impact on our patients,” says Prof. Uwe Platzbecker, Medical Director of University Hospital Dresden. “By incorporating findings from healthcare research into family doctor's services, the quality and safety of medical care across the board is sustainably strengthened.”
Fifteen years of general medicine at TU Dresden stand for the confluence of science, education, and healthcare. By strengthening the profile of general medicine in teaching and continuing education, Antje Bergmann's team, in close cooperation with the Saxony Competence Center for Continuing Education in General Medicine (KWASa), which has been in existence since 2019, and the Leipzig Institute for General Medicine, has made a significant contribution to increasing the number of family doctors in Saxony and thus improving the quality of care. Plans for the future include additional research collaborations, strengthening the Saxon research practice network, and involving patients as active partners. This will ensure that general medicine in Dresden remains a key stakeholder on the path to modern, patient-centered healthcare.
The General Medicine department of TU Dresden's Faculty of Medicine
Note
On December 5, MDR TV will be on site for the cuddly toy doctor's office as part of the “15 Years of General Medicine in Dresden” anniversary celebrations. Upon prior registration, children are welcome to come in for a check-up and, if necessary, even for vaccinations: https://tu-dresden.de/med/mf/ame/das-institut/news/kuscheltier-gesundheitstag-vorsorge-und-impfungen-fuer-unsere-kleinen-freunde
The full program for the anniversary celebration on December 5: The staff of the department will celebrate “15 Years of General Medicine” at TU Dresden’s Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine along with Saxon family practices, junior family doctors, medical students, cooperation partners, and other interested parties.
Contact:
Prof. Antje Bergmann
Chair of General Medicine
Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden
Anne-Stephanie Vetter
Public Relations Office
Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine
at TU Dresden
+49 351 458 17903