​Beyond the Heart

​Distinguished Lectures on the Future of Medicine and Health

​Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in industrialized countries, placing cardiovascular medicine at the center of modern healthcare. As such, it is closely connected to numerous medical subspecialties and shaped by technological advances as well as institutional and socioeconomic dynamics.

​The Beyond the Heart lecture series explores topics that transcend cardiovascular medicine and address the future of healthcare and medicine as a whole. The bi-monthly series is hosted by the German Heart Center Foundation at its headquarters at the Charité Campus Virchow Klinikum.

​Feb. 25, 2026: The Future of Cardiac Surgery

​The inaugural lecture, “The Future of Heart Surgery”, will be delivered by Prof. Dr. med. Volkmar Falk, Chief Medical Officer of Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité. In his talk, Prof. Falk explores how cutting-edge robotics and breakthroughs in interventional cardiology are set to redefine the future of cardiac surgery.

​Prof. Volkmar Falk is an internationally renowned heart surgeon and unique clinician scientist with deep interest in technical innovations to improve heart surgery and care. He was the co-founder of the Innovation Center for Computer-Assisted Surgery (ICCAS) in Leipzig. He is author of around 750 scientific publications, and co-editor of leading journals including the European Heart Journal and the New England Journal of Medicine. From 2004 to 2025, he has served as President of the European Association for Cardio Thoracic Surgery and actively contributes to international cardiovascular clinical guidelines.

​Program

​18:00 Doors open

​18:15 Welcome

​18:20 The Future of Cardiac Surgery
Prof. Volkmar Falk, MD I DHZC

​19:15 Get-together  
with Drinks  & Finger Food

​20:00 End

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In case you are unable to attend, we kindly ask you to cancel your registration for the event.