Dr Matthias Reeh was a medical undergraduate at Kiel University until 2008 and then trained, first in surgery, at University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany from 2009. In 2016, he became Associate Professor of Surgery and an attending surgeon. In 2018 he became Senior Attending Surgeon at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. His clinical and research interests are in the field of tumor biology and surgical oncology, and in special oesophageal cancer and upper GI surgery. He has written several book chapters and authored or co-authored over 70 research papers. Dr Reeh has received several academic research prizes, such as 'Dr. Martinipreis', and has been named Fellow of the European Board of Surgeons with honours.
Professor Jakob R. Izbicki was a medical undergraduate at Bonn University, Germany. He trained in surgery at University Hospital Hannover, and the University of Cologne, Germany, following a Senior Residency and Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany. In Munich, he became Associate Professor of Surgery and an attending surgeon. In 1992 he went to the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, and became Senior Attending Surgeon and Professor of Surgery. In 1998 he became Surgeon-In-Chief, and in 2002 Chairman of the Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery. He has written or edited over 20 books and authored or co-authored over 700 research papers. Professor Izbicki received several academic honors such as Honorary Fellowship American College of Surgeons, Honorary Fellowship Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, Honorary Doctorate University of Cluj Napoca, Romania, and Honorary Professor University of Skopje, Macedonia.