Interdisziplinäre Lehre: Meeting Global Challenges
Medicine in real world clinical settings
Exploring and advancing sustainability in the hospital
Registration
Registration takes place via RWTHonline and is possible from 1.09.2026 to 04.10.2026. Further information on the registration process can be found in the FAQs.
All students can register for one course. You can specify two preferences. To do so, please use the ‘high’ priority and the one directly below it. For instructions, please click here. If you have not been allocated a place at the end of the allocation process and are still interested in participating in a course, please contact sibel.yildirim@ipw.rwth-aachen.de.
(If you have any problems with registration, please contact Ms Sibel Yildirim (IPW) at sibel.yildirim@ipw.rwth-aachen.de, stating your matriculation number. If you have any general questions about the course, please contact the person listed below.)
We welcome your questions and comments. You can contact us here! (The ‘Leonardo’ project is also on Facebook and Instagram).
Academic Responsibility
Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Center for Circular Economy, RWTH Aachen
Junior professor for Safety, Security and Sustainability Evaluations in Foresight Research, RWTH Aachen
Contact Person
Sönke Hebing, M.Ed.
Schedule
Start:
05.11.2026
Time:
Thursday, 08:00-12:00 h
Place:
RWTH Aachen University Hospital
Description
The RWTH Aachen University Hospital is opening its doors to offer students from the Faculty of Medicine and all other faculties the opportunity to engage in an interdisciplinary exploration of sustainability and circularity issues arising from everyday clinical practice. The programme will highlight the challenges on the path to a Zero Emission Hospital and explore the principles of a sustainable Circular Economy as potential solutions in greater depth. Through close collaboration between various departments of the University Hospital and institutes at RWTH Aachen University, participants will not only gain theoretical knowledge but also gain practical insights. Selected keynote presentations by industry experts provide students with a further perspective on implementation possibilities within larger organisations. Students visit the operating theatre and the waste recycling facility at the University Hospital and develop their own solutions, which they present in a pitch.
Learning Outcomes
- An understanding of the environmental challenges posed by key clinical processes, as well as the role of resource flows, hygiene requirements and organisational structures in the context of sustainable hospital care.
- The ability to apply the principles of the circular economy to hospital operations, analyse them from an interdisciplinary perspective, and derive viable approaches for sustainable clinical practice.
- The development of a critical perspective on existing clinical processes and sustainability strategies, including an assessment of their practical feasibility.
- Recognising how interdisciplinary collaboration between medicine, technology, management and external partners can lead to innovative and practical solutions for sustainable hospital development.
- The ability to analyse current waste management practices and propose improvements based on circular economy principles.
- Developing a business case for the implementation of sustainable practices in hospital operations.
Program
05.11.2026
What are the challenges?
Dr.med. Linda Grüßer, Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Jan Spillner, Klinik für Thoraxchirurgie, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Dr. med. Sebastian Kalverkamp, Klinik für Thoraxchirurgie, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Dr. med. Thomas Schwanz, Klinische Infektiologie und Krankenhaushygiene, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Werner Kick, Abfallmanagement, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
12.11.2026
How could we go about it?
Dr.-Ing. Anna Luthin, Sicherheits- und Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung in der
Zukunftsforschung
Dr.-Ing. Dennis Kreutzer, Center for Circular Economy, RWTH Aachen
Melanie Wiemuth, M.Sc., Nachhaltigkeitsbeauftragte Uniklinik Aachen
Anneliese Bischof, M.Sc.Associate Director Strategy & Transformation, Lhoist
Dr.med. Linda Grüßer, Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
19.11.2026
How do we go about it in practice?
Dr. Martha Groth, Referentin Nachhaltigkeit, Luisenhospital Aachen
Procedure/Working method
Depending on the course of studies, module and examination, credit points can be achieved through participation. If you would like to take an exam, please make sure beforehand how you can get credit for it in your degree program. Of course, you can also take exams without receiving curricular credit for them. Visit our FAQs for more information.
Certificate
0 CP for proof of attendance,
2 CP for the idea pitch (ungraded),
3 CP for the idea pitch with a written project plan (graded)
