1969-1975	Study of Medicine at the University of Bologna
1982	Speciality in Internal Medicine
1983	Speciality in Gastroenterology
1985	Thesis for Venia legendi in Internal Medicine "Chronic Pancreatitis" (equivalent to PhD thesis) at the University of Ulm
1986	Research fellow of Mayo Clinic: research on pancreas physiology and gastrointestinal motility
1991	Associate Professor (by ministry of science, Baden-Württemberg)
1992	Appointed as University Professor (C3) for Internal Medicine/ Gastroenterology (by ministry of science, Nordrhein-Westfalen)
1994	Appointed as University Professor (C4) for Internal Medicine/ Gastroenterology (by ministry of culture and science, Sachsen-Anhalt)
since 1995	University Professor, Chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Magdeburg permanent post

Presidencies of GI-societies:

Mitteldeutsche Gesellschaft für Gastroenterologie 2003
European Association of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy (EAGE) 2000-2004
United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEGF) 2004
Chairman of Education (UEGF) 2005-2007
President of the German Society of Gastroenterology 2011

Honorary membership:

Asociacion Castellana de Aparato Digestivo 1996
South African Society of Gastroenterology 1998
Hungarian Society of Gastroenterology 1999
Czech Society of Gastroenterology 2005
Slovakian Society of Gastroenterology 2006
Prout Club (UK) 2006
Honorary member of the German Society of Visceral Surgery 2011
Honorary member of the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology 2013
Honorary member of the Polish Society of Gastroenterology 2014
Honorary member of the Academy of Sciences Lithuanian 2015

Merits/honours

Doctor honoris causa University of Turgu Mures (Romania) 2006
Doctor honoris causa University of Athens (Greece) 2007
Doctor honoris causa Semmelweis University Budapest (Hungary) 2009
Doctor honoris causa University Cluj Napoca (Romania 2016)

Publications:

249 books and book chapters, 940 original papers and review articles