With great sadness, the DZL announced this morning that Prof. Dr. Tobias Welte passed away yesterday after a short and severe illness. Tobias Welte led the DZL site BREATH from its inception as an outstanding representative and internationally highly esteemed research personality. "His death leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. Our thoughts are with his family and friends, including many DZL members," says DZL speaker Prof. Dr. Werner Seeger.
For nearly 20 years, Welte served as a professor of pulmonology at the Hannover Medical School. He also led the BREATH site since the founding of the DZL. His expertise was sought after worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Welte gained public attention as a policy advisor. Last year, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) honored his life's work at their International Congress in Milan, presenting him with the "ERS Sadoul Lecture Award." The society highlighted his outstanding contributions to clinical pulmonology. Welte also served as the acting chairman of the German Sepsis Society and was the President of the German Respiratory Society (DGP) from 2013 to 2015, as well as the President of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) from 2017 to 2018.
