Magdeburg plastic surgeon appointed to editorial board of Journal of Hand Surgery
The acting chief physician at the University Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic, and Hand Surgery in Magdeburg, Prof. Dr. med. Armin Kraus, has been appointed as the sole European representative to the editorial board of the Journal of Hand Surgery—one of the most important specialist journals in the field of hand surgery. His expertise will play a key role in the evaluation and further development of international research in this field.
Prof. Kraus studied medicine at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, where he also earned his doctorate. His training took him to renowned institutions in Germany and abroad, including University Hospital Zurich, BG Unfallklinik Tübingen, and the Department of Plastic Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center in the USA.
Prof. Kraus has been working at the University Medical Center Magdeburg for many years – initially as an assistant and senior physician, later as a senior physician and managing senior physician. In 2021, he was appointed adjunct professor. Since October 2024, he has served as chief physician in emergency medicine at the University Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic, and Hand Surgery and holds a Master of Health Business Administration degree.
In addition, Prof. Kraus has been involved in humanitarian projects for many years. With Interplast e. V. and Beta Humanitarian Help e. V., of which he is a founding member, he has carried out regular surgical missions in countries such as Nepal, Malawi, Madagascar, Togo, and Burundi. As a reservist in the German Armed Forces Medical Service (rank of senior medical officer/lieutenant colonel), he is also trained in medical care in special operational situations. He has also accompanied international mountain expeditions as an expedition doctor, including to Aconcagua and Pik Lenin.
Prof. Kraus conducts scientific research into the behavior of cells in three-dimensional cultures under simulated weightlessness. The aim is both to develop artificial tissue—for example, for nerve or tendon reconstruction—and to gain a better understanding of tumor cell growth in complex spatial environments. The findings from this research contribute to the further development of future treatment methods.
Prof. Dr. med. Armin Kraus accepted as the only European member of a renowned international expert committee, photo: UMMD