Established in 1986, the German Heart Center Berlin (DHZB) was founded to allow for state-of-the-art treatments for patients with cardiovascular diseases in then West-Berlin and to make Berlin an international scientific magnet in cardiac surgery and cardiology. From the early days on, the DHZB was meant to bridge clinical excellence with teaching and research through close collaborations with Berlins universities and medical faculty, as well as through international exchange with leading heart centers abroad.
On January 1st, 2023, DHZB and Charité merged their cardiovascular services to form the German Heart Center of Charité (DHZC). In the context of the hospital merger, the German Heart Center Foundation has been recalibrating its activities and structures while staying true to its original purpose.
The German Heart Center Foundation remains actively involved in the strategic and operational development of DHZC through its active participation in the DHZC Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board provides significant backing for the long-term development of the DHZC through strategic, budgetary and personnel decisions. The Supervisory Board is made up of the Chief Executive Officer of the Charité and the Chief Executive Officer of the German Heart Center Foundation, as well as four other members who are delegated by Charité and DHZB Foundation. This parity of representation guarantees strategic and operational control on equal terms between the two partners. The Chief Executive Officer of German Heart Center Foundation assumes a seat in the Supervisory Board of Charité to strengthen the partnership even further.
Beyond the DHZC, the German Heart Center Foundation will strengthen its role in education and science. As part of the clinic merger, the educational programs and teams of DHZB remained in the realm of the foundation and were integrated in the newly established DHZB Akademie. The foundation will continue to support professorships at DHZC and expand translational research and innovation funding into another pillar of the foundation.
The foundation is governed by an Executive Board which includes seven representatives from the areas of medicine, science, business and politics. The acting Berlin Senator for Science, Health and Care, as well as the acting Chief Executive Officer of Charité Universitätsmedizin are designated board members by statutes. All other members are elected for the duration of five years.
Prof. Dr. Hans Maier
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Jan Eder
Vice Chairman of the Board
Prof. Dr. Felix Berger
Board Member
Dr. Ina Czyborra
Board Member
Dr. Andrea Grebe
Board Member
Prof. Dr. Heyo Kroemer
Board Member
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mlynek
Board Member