At an academic memorial service, companions paid tribute to the life's work of the renowned gastroenterologist and former MHH President.
The funeral service was accompanied by music from the MHH Choir under the direction of Eva Filler. Copyright: Karin Kaiser/MHH
Around three months after his death, the MHH honored its former President Prof. Dr. Michael Manns with an academic ceremony. Colleagues and companions paid tribute to the internationally renowned gastroenterologist, who left his mark on the MHH for decades. Professor Manns had saved countless lives as a physician - on August 15, he succumbed to a tumor disease at the age of 73.
In greetings and discussions, the long-standing Director of the Clinical Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology was remembered as a medical visionary and a deeply human colleague. Lower Saxony's Science Minister Falko Mohrs emphasized how much Professor Manns had shaped the university through his attitude and care.
Commemorative lecture honours international commitment to liver medicine
Special attention should be paid to the commemorative lecture given by renowned hepatologist Professor Tom Hemming Karlsen from Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet and the University of Oslo, who travelled from Norway especially for the occasion. As a long-standing colleague of Professor Manns, he recalled their joint commitment to the EASL–Lancet Commission: The joint initiative of The Lancet journal and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) highlights the health policy relevance of liver disease and advocates for a shift in liver medicine – away from purely end-stage treatment towards prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of liver disease. A change that Professor Manns has witnessed and, above all, helped to shape.
Companions remember with personal stories
In personal retrospectives, companions described wards of his career - from Berlin to Mainz to Hanover - and told anecdotes that revealed his humorous side. Former Prime Minister Sigmar Gabriel recounted how Professor Manns once spontaneously drove to Goslar on a Saturday to help a seriously ill friend: an example of the "physician with a passion" who left his mark without ever appearing pompous.
Dr Johanna Rieder, Professor Manns' eldest daughter, thanked everyone for their great sympathy. The many letters and words had touched the family deeply - and she wished her father could have experienced this appreciation himself.
- You can find the recording of the academic memorial service here.
- You can watch the mourning film "Ein Nachdenken, ein Zuwinken" here.
Text: Inka Burow