• The urology expert is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the University Medical Center Dresden and played a key role in shaping its development.
• Contemporaries and colleagues alike pay tribute to this eminent authority in the field of urology.

The Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden and the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden mourn the loss of Prof. Manfred Wirth (Dr. med. habil. Dr. h.c.). The urologist and long-time clinic director passed away on July 11, 2024, at the age of 75. “We have not only lost an excellent physician and scientist, but also one of the founding fathers of the University Medical Center Dresden, and a close personal friend. We will honor the memory of him and his work, and our thoughts are with his family,” says Prof. Michael Albrecht, Medical Director at Dresden University Hospital. “Manfred Wirth embodied the values of the University Medical Center Dresden and serves as a role model for us. Maintaining close ties to science and research was always of the utmost significance to him, as was having a dialog on an equal footing with expert colleagues,” says Professor Esther Troost, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

The University Medical Center Dresden pays tribute to Professor Manfred Wirth. The physician and scientist was the Director of the Department of Urology at Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden until 2018. The Department of Urology at Dresden University Hospital is one of the largest clinics of its kind in Germany. It has over 5,600 inpatients a year and a team numbering more than 100 – including 30 doctors and more than 70 nursing staff. Manfred Wirth has now passed away at the age of 75.  After studying medicine at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Manfred Wirth completed his further medical training at the University of Würzburg. After his habilitation in 1986, he initially held the position of senior physician at the Urological University Clinic in Würzburg, before taking up the professorship for urology at the University of Würzburg in 1990. In December 1992, he became Professor of Urology and Director of the Department of Urology and Paediatric Urology. From 1994 to 1999, Manfred Wirth was also Chief Medical Director of the University Hospital at TU Dresden. He performed this honorary role alongside his function as Director of the Department of Urology. In this way, Manfred Wirth guided the transformation of the Medical Academy into the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden and the University Hospital, which then became an institution under public law in 1999. He was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit in 2003 for this commitment and for other works.

“From the very beginning, Manfred Wirth guided and shaped the development of the Faculty of Medicine and of Dresden University Hospital. He followed the development of the site and, in particular, the innovations in his subject area until the very end. He was always a crucial partner when it came to discussions involving visions and thoughts on the continued existence of the University Medical Center Dresden,” says Professor Michael Albrecht, Medical Director. “The team at the Department of Urology mourns the loss of its former director. Many have worked with him and benefited from his clinical, scientific and professional skills. Our thoughts are with his family. We shall always have positive memories of his work and commitment to our clinic,” says Prof. Christian Thomas, Director of the Department of Urology.

“Manfred Wirth always strove to engage in dialog with specialist colleagues – in Saxony and Germany as well as all over the world. The scientific dialog on current topics in urology also influenced his work at Dresden's University Hospital. Manfred Wirth was a respected member of the international research community. This also benefited the Dresden site,” says Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden. In 2018, he was made an honorary member of the prestigious American Urological Association (AUA) – one of the highest honors in the field. He also served as President of the German Society of Urology. He was an internationally renowned expert in urology, specializing in urological cancers and reconstructive surgery.

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Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden (UKD)
Annechristin Bonß, Press Office
Tel.: +49 351 458 4162