Felix Unger
Prof.Dr.Felix Unger was born on March 2, 1946 in Klagenfurt, Austria. After the elementary-schools, he joined 1965 the Medical School of the University of Vienna. 1971 he graduated from the Medical School of the University of Vienna with M.D. After receiving the degree he was resident at the Clinic for Cardiology of the University of Vienna and after in 1972 he joined the II. Surgical Clinic of the University of Vienna. In 1974 he stayed vor seven months in the United States with Denton A.Cooley, Houston/Texas, Yukihiko Nose, Cleveland/Ohio, and Dr.Willem Kolff, Salt lake City/Utah. Coming back to Europe he continued his training in surgery. 1978 he became Assistant professor of Surgery of the University of Vienna, after 1978 Associate of the University Clinic for Surgery of the University Innsbruck. 1983 he became Professor of Surgery. From 1985 - 2011 he was Head of the University Clinic for Cardiac Surgery in Salzburg. The primary interest is in cardiac surgery, the scientific interest is in assisted circulation and total artificial heart. He invented the ellipsoid heart for assisted circulation. There have been since 1977 22 clinical implantations, of them 20 left ventricular assist devices and 2 total artificial hearts. In March 1986 he performed the first staged total artificial heart - cardiac transplantation procedure in Europe. Professor Unger is author and co-author of more than 400 publications, he chaired several sessions in national and international meetings, he has given more than 60 scientific presentations. Furthermore he has three major awards; he edited five books as "Assisted Circulation", Assisted Circulation II", "Assisted Circulation III", "Coronary Artery Surgery". He acted as president of 9 scientific meetings (1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993) in Innsbruck and Salzburg. 1985 there was held an International Workshop in Salzburg on "Coronary Artery Surgery for the Nineties" with the support of the European Society for Cardiology, European Society for Cardiac Surgery and the World Health Organization, Regional office for Europe. 1993 he chaired the 3rd Annual Meeting of the international Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons in Salzburg. He served as president of the International Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons. Since 1990 he is president of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. A specific emphasis has been the new role of universities, the European healthcare and the European Curriculum in Medicine. Professor Unger is married to Monika von Fioreschy and they have two boys, Stephan and Matthäus