Professor of Surgery at Alfaisal University Dieter C Broering Receives the Title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the School of Medicine

Professor of Surgery at Alfaisal University (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), Dieter C Broering, has been awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the School of Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The award ceremony was held on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, in the University’s Great Hall.

Proceedings opened with welcoming remarks by Professor Gerasimos Siasos, Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Next, Georgios Sotiropoulos, Professor of General Surgery and Transplantation at the School of Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, spoke about Professor Dieter C Broering’s work and personal qualities.

The formal conferment then took place with Professor Nikolaos Arkadopoulos, Chair of the School of Medicine, reading the official citation. Following this, he invested the honouree with the School’s academic gown.

The ceremony closed with the awardee, Professor Dieter C Broering, giving a talk on ‘Revolutionising Organ Transplantation with Robotic Surgery’.

In his welcome address, the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, said, among other things:

‘Professor Broering is widely regarded as one of the leading figures in contemporary solid organ transplant surgery. Throughout his distinguished career, he has been at the forefront of major advances in liver transplantation, making an outstanding contribution to improving the quality of life of thousands of patients.

Professor Broering has earned international recognition for his pioneering work in living donor liver transplantation, split liver transplantation and the introduction of robotic technology into transplant surgery. He has also played a key role in establishing new transplant programmes at university and general hospitals across Europe and the Middle East, while fostering strong international scientific collaborations.

Today’s ceremony is particularly significant for the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Professor Broering has developed a close and highly productive collaboration with the Liver Transplantation and Liver Disease Surgical Department of our School of Medicine, making a substantial contribution to the establishment and development of the living donor liver transplantation programme at “Laiko” General Hospital of Athens.

As Visiting Professor at our School of Medicine, he actively contributes to the educational mission of the Liver Transplantation Department and has supported the training of doctors and other healthcare professionals from our University at the transplant centre in Riyadh. As part of the collaboration between the two transplant centres, four surgeons, three anaesthesiologists, one intensivist and four operating theatre nurses have already completed training in Riyadh, while two surgeons have been serving as fellows in Professor Broering’s Centre since the beginning of this year’.

Photos by Dimitris Konstantinidis