Double honour for PD Dr Felix Freiherr von Bechtolsheim

PD Dr Felix Freiherr von Bechtolsheim, Senior Registrar at the Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at Dresden University Hospital, was awarded two prestigious scientific prizes in April 2026: the Karl Storz Prize from the German Society for Surgery (DGCH) and the Theodor Billroth Prize from the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery (DGAV).

The Karl Storz Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in German surgery and recognises innovative scientific work in the field of minimally invasive surgery. The award specifically highlights the research achievements of PD Dr von Bechtolsheim in the field of minimally invasive surgery and surgical training methods.

He was also awarded the DGAV’s Theodor Billroth Prize for his postdoctoral thesis entitled ‘Skills in Minimally Invasive Surgery: Training and Influencing Factors’. The prize honours the memory of the eminent surgeon Theodor Billroth and recognises outstanding academic achievements in postdoctoral research in general and visceral surgery.

As one of the medical directors of the Surgical Skills Lab Dresden, PD Dr von Bechtolsheim is deeply committed to practical surgical training and continuing professional development, as well as to the development of modern training programmes for young surgeons.

This double honour bestowed upon PD Dr von Bechtolsheim recognises the high scientific significance of the research carried out by the Surgical Skills Lab Dresden, as well as its importance for the further development of modern surgical training and minimally invasive surgical techniques.