PMU Institute Director Peter Augat honored with the Volker Bühren Award 2024

Univ.-Prof. Peter Augat, Head of the Institute for Biomechanics at BG Unfallklinik Murnau and Director of the Institute for Biomechanics at Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU), has been honored with the VOLKER BÜHREN Award 2024 by the Swiss OTC Foundation (Osteosynthesis and Trauma Care) for his outstanding dedication and contributions to the organization. The OTC Foundation serves as an umbrella organization connecting 20 national organizations worldwide, bringing together doctors, scientists, and engineers to improve treatment for trauma patients. In addition to promoting dialogue among experts and educational events focusing on treatment concepts, the Foundation is deeply involved in fracture healing research and the development of innovative trauma surgery treatment methods. The award ceremony took place during the Annual General Meeting of the OTC Foundation in Stockholm.

A committee from the OTC Foundation carefully selected Prof. Dr. Peter Augat from Murnau as the ideal recipient of the VOLKER BÜHREN Award 2024. Prof. Augat studied physics at the University of Ulm, focusing on fracture healing from the start of his research career. During his time at the University of California, San Francisco, he expanded his expertise to include imaging techniques for diagnosing and monitoring osteoporosis. In 2005, Prof. Augat took on the role of Chair of Biomechanics at the Paracelsus Medical Private University in Salzburg and helped establish the joint Institute for Biomechanics at BG Unfallklinik Murnau. A year later, in 2006, he founded the Biomechanics Research Program within the OTC. As a member of the OTC Research Committee, he actively promoted international collaboration in research and education. Under his leadership, numerous multidisciplinary partnerships flourished, resulting in groundbreaking scientific discoveries that have significantly advanced trauma care. Prof. Augat is particularly dedicated to educating young researchers and medical professionals, regularly sharing the principles of scientific research and clinical practice through various events. He is well-known for his exceptional lectures on the fundamentals and biomechanical principles of fracture healing. Research projects on fracture healing remain a core part of his work at the Institute for Biomechanics at BG Unfallklinik Murnau, with the knowledge gained being continuously applied to improve patient care at the clinic. His commitment to education and mentorship has been instrumental in inspiring a new generation of scientists to pursue research in trauma surgery. Through his work, Prof. Peter Augat has not only significantly supported the goals of the OTC Foundation but has also continued the pioneering vision of Prof. Volker Bühren.

VOLKER BÜHREN Award

Last year, the OTC Foundation bid farewell to Prof. Dr. med. Volker Bühren, who passed away in August 2023 after a brief, serious illness. Prof. Bühren made significant contributions to the development of OTC Germany as well as the international OTC Foundation, fostering connections among leading experts worldwide. In honor of his outstanding achievements, the OTC Foundation's Honorary Award was renamed the VOLKER BÜHREN Award. Volker Bühren was instrumental in the founding of the PMU Institute for Biomechanics and in establishing BG Unfallklinik Murnau as a teaching hospital of the PMU.

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Pictured (from left to right): Dr. med. Astrid Bühren, Prof. Dr. hum. biol. Dipl. Phys. Peter Augat, and Dr. med. Oliver Trapp. // Photo: Margot Hamm / OTC Foundation