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Doctoral ceremony
The doctoral certificates are handed over by the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg in a ceremonial setting. This takes place once a year (around mid-July), on a Saturday morning in the New Assembly Hall (10.30 a.m. to around 1 p.m.).
Next ceremony: July 11, 2026
This is a festive occasion to celebrate the awarding of the doctorate. The event is offered by the faculty, participation is not obligatory.
Doctoral ceremony 2025
Saturday, July 12, at 10.30 a.m.
in the New Assembly Hall of the University
Grabengasse 3-5, Universitätsplatz
Invitation
For the current ceremony, all doctoral candidates who have completed their doctoral studies by May 31 each year are invited.
In this case, you will receive a written invitation approximately 4 weeks in advance. (Please remember to inform us of any changes of address!).
NOTE ABOUT THE CERTIFICATE
An original signed and sealed copy of the doctoral certificate will already be sent to you immediately after the completion of your procedure.
Award ceremony
The Wilma Moser Award, the Dr. Feldbausch Foundation Award, and the Anita and Friedrich Reutner Award will also be presented at the graduation ceremony.
Wilma Moser Prize
The Wilma Moser Prize is named after the Mannheim pediatrician Dr. Wilma Moser. The prize, endowed with 2,500 euros, was awarded for the first time in 2005 and is intended to promote female researchers. Each year, it honors the best and youngest female scientists from the medical faculties or the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Heidelberg. In recognition of their outstanding achievements, the university of Heidelberg awards the Wilma Moser Foundation Prize to the two youngest female "summa cum laude" promoters of the previous year:
Laureate 2025
Dr. med. Helin Kardo
obtained her doctorate in neuropathology. Dr. Kardo's cumulative dissertation was accepted with the highest rating of “summa cum laude” and received high praise from internal and external reviewers.
Dr. Kardo has established innovative experimental single-cell sequencing techniques that provide high-resolution insights into the molecular composition and cellular heterogeneity of tumors. The results of her research project entitled
“Towards precision CNS tumor diagnostics using third-generation and single-cell sequencing”
have led to six high-ranking publications, two of which Dr. Kardo is the first author, and one patent application.
Dr. Kardo is receiving the Wilma Moser Foundation Award for her outstanding achievements and significant contribution to neuropathological diagnostics in everyday clinical practice.
Laureates 2024
Dr. med. Christina Schmidt
performed her doctoral project in internal medicine under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Müller-Tidow. Dr. Schmidt completed her doctorate on Nov. 16, 2023, with high honors.
She published the results of her dissertation with the topic:
„BCL-2 inhibition synergizes with dual targeting of FLT3 and AXL in FLT3 wildtype AML via downregulation of MCL-1“
in the distinguished refereed journal BLOOD as a shared first autor.
Laureates 2019
Dr. Magdalena Görtz
received her doctorate in surgery under the supervision of Prof. Peter Schemmer on the topic "De novo synthesis of the metastasis-associated protein C4.4A in hepatocellular carcinoma enhances tumor cell migration and invasion". Results of her work were published in the scientific journal "Oncology Reports". Dr. Görtz's doctorate was completed on Aug. 13, 2018, with the highest grade of "summa cum laude."
Dr. med. Cindy Zhang
successfully completed her doctoral project, that she carried out in infectiology under the supervision of Prof. Grimm at BioQuant, on July 6, 2023.
Her dissertation entitled
„Towards an RNA interference and Adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy targeting hepatitis E virus“
was published in the peer-reviewed international journal „Hepatology Communications“ with Dr. Zhang as afirst autor and received the highest grade „summa cum laude“.
Dr. Verena Throm
received her doctorate on Dec. 20, 2018, in surgery under the supervision of apl. Prof. Oliver Strobel. The project with the topic "SLURP1 as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma" was published in the journal "Oncotarget" with Dr. Throm as first author and was evaluated with "summa cum laude".
Prize of the Dr. Feldbausch Foundation
The foundation was established by Dr. Friedrich Feldbausch in 1994. The name of the foundation is intended to refer to three relatives - grandfather, father and brother of the founder - who worked as physicians in Landau for around 100 years, from 1892 to 1992. The purpose of the foundation is primarily to honor individuals for above-average publications or achievements in the field of cancer research, among other things.
The prize, endowed with 2,500 euros, was awarded to:
Laureates
Laureates 2025
Dr. med. Zibo Meng
completed his doctorate in the field of Molecular Oncology in the Pancreatic Cancer Research section at the University Medical Center and graduated with the highest grade of summa cum laude. Dr. Meng is receiving the Dr. Feldbausch Prize for his doctoral project, which was published in the prestigious international journal Science Translational Medicine with him as the first author.
The title of his dissertation is:
“Charting of the tumor-reactive CD8+ T-cell repertoire in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at the single-cell level.”
Research into the T-cell repertoire in biopsies of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma enabled Dr. Meng to create a gene signature of tumor-reactive T cells as a possible basis for the rapid identification of tumor-reactive clonotypes for personalized immunotherapy.
Dr. Med. Maximilian Gustav Schmutz
received his doctorate at the German Cancer Research Center in the field of “Toxicology and Cancer Risk Factors” with the topic:
“Epigenetic markers in therapy response to the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-azacytidine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.”
The work was published with Dr. Schmutz as first author in the journal “Clinical Epigenomics” and as a book chapter. The research results contribute to the further development of personalized therapies for people suffering from a form of blood cancer—acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Dr. Schmutz receives the Dr. Feldbausch Foundation Award for his outstanding doctoral thesis, which was completed with the highest grade of “summa cum laude.”
Laureates 2024
Dr. sc. hum. Thomas Heißer
completed his doctorate at the DKFZ in epidemiology under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Brenner with the thesis entitled:
“Novel Strategies for Optimized Colorectal Cancer Screening:
Need and Potential of Gender-Specific Approaches”
The project led to 5 publications with Dr. Heißer as a first autor and received the highest grade „summa cum laude“ on July 20, 2023. Dr. Heißer receives the prize of Dr. Feldbausch Foundation for his outstanding scientific project.
laureates 2019
Dr. med. Pia Maier
received her doctorate in Physiology on Nov. 12, 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Draguhn and is awarded with the Dr. Feldbausch Foundation Prize for her outstanding doctoral dissertation with the topic:
"Effects of oxytocin on hippocampal network oscillations."
Dr. med. Li Xao
received her doctorate in Surgery on Aug. 13, 2018, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hackert. Dr. Xiao is awarded with the Dr. Feldbausch Foundation Prize for her project:
"Efficacy of vaccination with tumor-exosome loaded dendritic cells combined with cytotoxic drug treatment in pancreatic cancer".
Dr. med. Dominic Schmid
perfomed his doctoral project in neurology under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Wick at the Neurological University Clinic Heidelberg in collaboration with the DKFZ. He finished his doctorate on July 6, 2023 and received “summa cum laude” for his outstanding dissertation. Dr. Schmid is awarded with the Dr. Feldbausch Foundation Prize for his doctoral project that was published in „Journal of Neurochemistry“ with Dr. Schmid as a first autor.
The doctoral project is entitled:
„Diagnostic Biomarkers from Proteomic Characterization of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Patients with Brain Malignancies“.
Dr. med. Afshin Saffari
received his doctorate in Pediatrics on March 07, 2018, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Kölker. For his outstanding doctoral project with the topic:
“The impact of the TSC-mTOR Pathway on spatiotemporal dynamics of mitochondrial metabolism in neuronal models of tuberous sclerosis complex”
Dr. Saffari is awarded the Dr. Feldbausch Prize.
Dr. sc. hum. Ingmar Sören Meyer
completed his doctorate on April 26, 2018 in the department of "Internal Medicine" under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Leuschner. He receives the award for his outstanding dissertation:
"Monocyte activation after myocardial infarction: the role of non-canonical WNT signaling and WNT inhibitory factor-1".
Anita and Friedrich Reutner Prize
The prize, endowed by Prof. Friedrich Reutner (Honorary Senator of Heidelberg University), was awarded for the first time at Heidelberg Medical Faculty in 2011. The prize is aimed at young female scientists who do not yet hold an established position and are working at an institution of the Heidelberg Medical Faculty. In particular, such achievements are to be honored that address clinically relevant research questions. In 2019, the Friedrich Reutner Prize will be awarded for the ninth time.