Lothar H. Wieler

German veterinarian, microbiologist, and the current president of the Robert Koch Institute

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Veterinary medicine
Microbiology

Websitewww.rki.de/SharedDocs/Lebenslauf/Wieler_Lothar_H.html

Lothar Heinz Wieler (born 8 February 1961) is a German veterinarian and microbiologist who served as president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) from 2015 to 2023.^[1] In this capacity, he advised the German Federal and State Governments on topics of public health, especially infection hazards, and on the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2]

Early life and education

Wieler was born in Königswinter, Germany. He studied veterinary medicine at Free University of Berlin and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich from 1980 to 1985.^[3]

Career

From 1998 until 2015, Wieler worked as professor and director of the Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics at the Free University of Berlin. During that time, he spent a sabbatical at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Hinxton under the supervision of Gordon Dougan.^[3]

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Wieler launched Europe’s first large-scale SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing in an effort to help researchers assess infection rates and monitor the spread of the virus more effectively; the study was carried out jointly by the Robert Koch Institute, Charité and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research.^[4]

In addition to his role at RKI, Wieler was a member of the World Health Organization's Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH) since 2018.^[5] In 2020, he chaired the WHO's Committee for the Review of the International Health Regulations.^[6] Also in 2020, he was appointed to the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, co-chaired by Sheikh Hasina and Mia Mottley.^[7]

Since 2023, Wieler has been working at the Hasso Plattner Institute.^[8]

Other activities

Virchow Prize for Global Health, Member of the Council (since 2022)^[9]
World Health Organization (WHO), Member of the European Advisory Committee on Health Research (since 2018)^[10]
Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R), Member of the Scientific Advisory Board (since 2016)
Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Member of the Board of Trustees^[11]
Robert Koch Foundation, Member of the Scientific Advisory Council^[12]

Awards

2024 Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany^[13]^[14]

References

^ "RKI – President – Prof. Dr. Lothar H. Wieler". www.rki.de.
^ "RKI – Mission Statement". www.rki.de.
^ ^a ^b CV of Lothar Wieler Robert Koch Institute.
^ Guy Chazan and Donato Paolo Mancini (9 April 2020), Germany to run Europe’s first large-scale antibody test programme Financial Times.
^ Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH) World Health Organization.
^ Sheri Fink (12 May 2021), Experts Call for Sweeping Reforms to Prevent the Next Pandemic New York Times.
^ Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance World Health Organization.
^ Sandra Calvez (15 June 2023), Prävention durch Digitalisierung: Was Lothar Wieler am HPI in Potsdam erreichen will Der Tagesspiegel.
^ Council Virchow Prize for Global Health.
^ European Advisory Committee on Health Research (EACHR) World Health Organization (WHO).
^ Board of Trustees Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications.
^ Scientific Advisory Council Robert Koch Foundation.
^ "Lothar Wieler mit Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse geehrt". Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina (in German). 14 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
^ "Verleihung des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland an Klaus Cichutek und Lothar Wieler". Der Bundespräsident (in German). Retrieved 18 January 2024.