CCIM Lübeck certified as an Interdisciplinary Inflammation Centre

– Joint press release of the Cluster of Excellence PMI and UKSH –

People suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases often wait years to receive a diagnosis – not because medicine lacks answers, but because those answers are spread too thinly across too many departments. Things are set to be different at the Lübeck Campus of the University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein. With its successful certification as an “Interdisciplinary Inflammation Centre” by the OnkoZert certification body, the Comprehensive Centre for Inflammation Medicine (CCIM) at the Lübeck Campus has now officially confirmed what is already standard practice in day-to-day care: dermatology, gastroenterology and rheumatology work closely together here.

The certification was awarded on behalf of the Förderverein Klinische Entzündungsmedizin e. V. (Association for Clinical Inflammation Medicine). Among other things, OnkoZert assesses how closely the specialist disciplines collaborate, whether treatments are carried out in accordance with agreed standards, and how the quality of care is ensured.

Working together for better care

Chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn’s disease, psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis rarely affect just one organ. Skin changes accompany bowel diseases, joint problems occur with pneumonia – the immune system acts as an interconnected system throughout the body. For patients at the CCIM Lübeck, this means: coordinated diagnostics, tailored therapies and case conferences in which experts from various disciplines make decisions together.

“The certification is a major success for our entire team and confirms the high quality of our interdisciplinary collaboration. Our aim is to offer patients with chronic inflammatory diseases the best possible, individually tailored care at the highest medical standard,” says Prof. Dr. med. Diamant Thaçi, who leads the centre.

Interdisciplinary care with established structures

Dr Cristian Papara is responsible for coordinating the centre, whilst Inga Brouer handles scientific coordination. Dr Hanna Graßhoff coordinates the rheumatology department, and Carlos Maaß coordinates the gastroenterology department. Key elements of the work include regular interdisciplinary case conferences and joint specialist outpatient clinics, where complex disease courses are discussed across disciplines and individual treatment strategies are developed. Clinical trials, biomarker programmes and patient registries form an integral part of the care – new scientific findings are immediately incorporated into diagnosis and treatment.

“The certification of the CCIM Lübeck confirms the high quality of interdisciplinary collaboration and is an important signal of excellence in research and care. It reinforces our commitment to translating innovative findings more quickly into patient treatment, whilst also underlining the prospect of a joint CCIM Schleswig-Holstein,” emphasises Prof. Dr  Dr  h.c. mult. Jens Scholz. “The CCIM exemplifies the combination of cutting-edge research and patient care in precision medicine,” says Prof. Dr  Dr  h.c. Stefan Schreiber, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine I at the UKSH on the Kiel campus and spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation (PMI). “The certification in Lübeck is another important step towards a joint, cross-site structure for inflammatory medicine in Schleswig-Holstein.”

Looking to the future: A joint centre for Schleswig-Holstein

With the certified centres in Kiel and Lübeck, a unique foundation is being established in Schleswig-Holstein for the further development of inflammatory medicine. Following the successful model of the University Cancer Centre Schleswig-Holstein (UCCSH), the UKSH and PMI are pursuing the vision of eventually merging the existing clinical and scientific structures of both sites into a Comprehensive Centre for Inflammation Medicine Schleswig-Holstein (CCIM-SH). Such a state-wide centre of excellence could cover the entire care continuum – from basic molecular research through clinical trials to highly specialised patient care – and further enhance the profile of inflammation medicine in Schleswig-Holstein both nationally and internationally.

The certification of the CCIM Lübeck is not only a mark of quality for the site, but also a building block of this shared future.