In memoriam: Prof Dr Hans-Jörg Oestern

With great dismay and sadness, we must bid farewell forever to our good friend and long-time colleague, Prof Dr H.-J. Oestern.  

Hans-Jörg Oestern was a shining example of medical ethics, patient dedication, and surgical excellence for his medical colleagues for decades. He was also a role model and motivator for the next generation of trauma surgeons.  

I met him for the first time in the late fall of 1983 during my specialist training at the Center for Surgery at Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH). From the beginning, I was fascinated by his open, motivating, and inspiring nature; he played a major role in my decision to specialize in trauma surgery. He himself had been working at the MHH Center for Surgery since 1972 and was thus a prime example of a new generation of surgeons in Germany who were committed to the new concept of cooperative center surgery and saw surgical specialization in conjunction with close organizational and collegial cooperation as a driving force for the further development of surgery. With this inspiring attitude and his capacity as an empathetic mentor, he has motivated me and countless young surgeons to achieve impressive careers. 

In the early 1980s, Hans-Jörg Oestern was the initiator and pioneer of systematic polytrauma and shock research, which was just being established. Based on his experience in Hanover, he made a formative contribution to national and international working groups and was instrumental in establishing specialist societies on this topic, which are now firmly established. Ultimately, the globally recognized concepts of the DGU Trauma Registry, DGU Trauma Networks, and the underlying White Papers and guidelines can be traced back to these initiatives. His clear commitment to scientific analysis based on rigorous data evaluation has led to a worldwide improvement in the treatment options for severely injured patients. Countless patients owe their lives to his tenacity and perseverance in this field. 

After being appointed Chief Physician of the Trauma Surgery Clinic at Celle General Hospital in 1985, he continued to work far beyond his primary sphere. He acted as President of several national specialist societies, was a founding member of the US "Shock Society", a board member of the "European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery" (ESTES), and a representative of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie in the "European Union of Medical Specialities" (UEMS) for over 22 years. He contributed significantly to introducing and establishing the European Board Specialist Examination "EBSQ Trauma Surgery." An organizer and examiner himself, he opened up a new, reliable career path for many generations of trauma surgeons with this exam.  

As a representative of trauma surgery in Hanover, Hans-Jörg Oestern was associated with the principles and activities of the AO from the very beginning. In line with his attitude that one can only be involved in the further development of structures through intensive activity and the assumption of responsibility, he initially played an active role in the German section of AO International and headed the society, which has since been renamed AO Deutschland, as President from 2004 to 2012. During his term of office, he not only initiated and implemented the necessary opening, rejuvenation, and structural change towards a very agile scientific society recognized across all generations but was also, as a long-standing member of the AO Foundation's Board of Trustees, involved in the global restructuring including the establishment of the foundation's own assets, in the early 2000s. This period also saw the global restructuring of the AO Foundation into clinical specialties and divisions. 

Many national and international prizes, awards, and honors attest to his influence and the unreserved esteem in which he is held. He always remained approachable and addressable across generations with modesty and curiosity. 

Not only do I personally owe him a special debt of gratitude, but I am losing a close friend and valued colleague. He will always be remembered as a formative role model in his surgical ethics, unwavering responsibility, care for the patient, and as an epitome of enthusiasm and motivation.  

We will miss him and feel obliged to continue the idea of cooperative surgery and comprehensive, unrestricted access to highly qualified trauma care! 

However, we are also losing a close friend who was always available for help and advice, and he deserves our utmost respect for this alone. 

Our sympathy and condolences go to the Oestern family, especially his wife Sabine and his daughter and our trauma surgery colleague Dr Stefanie Fitschen-Oestern and her family. 

We pay tribute to an impressive life's work and a good man.  

His ideas will live on, and we will remember him forever!

Tim Pohlemann, President, AO Foundation​

Obituary by Christof A Müller, AO Trauma Deutschland
Obituary by Hans Zwipp, DGU