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In my view, life’s paths are influenced by the environment and are based on decisions – including mine.
I was influenced by the Baltic Sea in my childhood, the Spree River and the Great Wall of China in my student days, and the Neckar River in my years of research. The Elbe and the Greek Mediterranean are my home today.
Pure curiosity to experience life in its intensity and to explore it from different perspectives drives me and are the forces of my decisions on my life’s path.
The joy of discovery coupled with an inquisitive mind contributed to my decision to study medicine in China.
I never thought that I would ever be able to speak Chinese. Nevertheless, it has come true. And no, I am not a language gifted person – and yes, I have discipline and love challenges.
Facing life’s challenges with consistency and openness are two qualities of mine.
Living alone in a foreign country is a great adventure and at the same time no cakewalk. Of course, there were moments that pushed me to my limits.
Especially these moments taught me to step out of the ordinary, to reflect on what I was used to and to try out and integrate new things.
Today, are for me these ” rock bottom ” moments a messenger for the magic of change that ensures the perpetuation of life.
My homecoming from China after several years was more challenging than I had ever imagined. I felt like a stranger in my home country.
I was also perceived as such. I remember one patient saying to me, “Your German is not bad.”.
My foreignness, my otherness, was for me a barrier to my fellows for a long time. I did a lot to hide it, to be a part of the community.
Today I am grateful to be different, because it is the expression of my personality and at the same time the gateway to my fellow human beings.
Heidelberg, the land of milk and honey for scientists! I was fortunate to anchor my medical knowledge and expertise in clinics, institutes as well as in the international research network.
In addition to the daily care of patients, my focus was on translating Chinese medicine into cognitive concepts, analyzing them and proving them with clinical research, publishing and teaching.
It was a valuable time that honed me and broadened my medical horizons.
The day came when I inwardly felt that I did not only want to operate in the science system. And my Nordic heart wanted to go home. I followed the impulse.
In Hamburg I founded my institute Medosophos – an artificial word consisting of the two forces: “med”- for medicine and – “sophos” for wisdom.
Wisdom is the power that reveals deeper connections. It does not follow logic, but shows itself in awareness. Medicine, on the other hand, is the force that initiates change. It does not strengthen habit or isolation, but initiates new movements and ways.
“My Greek Family and I” could be the title of the film that describes my private life:
Gatherings around long tables with music, dancing and discussions – once unimaginable for me, as I lived more of a hermit existence. The discussions usually center on topics surrounding social change and the effects of digitization on us humans and our health.
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