Our Institute is characterized by a multi-professional team: Physicians from the specialist disciplines of general medicine, internal medicine, palliative medicine, geriatrics and anesthesia; scientists from psychology, sociology, ethnology, health, Nursing and social sciences; administration and management.

History of the Institute ofGeneral Medicine and Palliative Medicine

The Department of General Medicine was founded at Hannover Medical School in 1976, making it the first university-based general medical institution in Germany. Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Haehn was the first chair holder and head of the Department. He was followed by Prof. Dr. Gisela Charlotte Fischer from 1989-2003 and Prof. Dr. Dr. Eva Hummers-Pradier from 2005-2012. Prof. Dr. Nils Schneider has been the Chair and Director of the Institute of General Practice since 2013.

From the very beginning, the focus has been on the generalist general medical training of future physicians, not only by the staff of the Department, but also by external lecturers.

To this end, cooperation with general practitioners in private practice throughout Lower Saxony has grown. At the same time, the Department has further developed general medical research at the MHH. This was and is characterized by a broad thematic spectrum within GP care with regional, national and international references, whereby current health policy aspects always play a major role. Over the past decades, general practice has been represented in patient care at the University Hospital of the MHH to some extent and in various forms, for example in the outpatient clinic until 2003. Since 2013, general medicine has once again been firmly anchored clinically at the MHH.

In 2021, the Institute was expanded and has since become the Institute ofGeneral Medicine and Palliative Medicine at MHH.