Prof (MD) Karl Lauterbach

Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach was the Federal Minister of Health under the government of Olaf Scholz from 2021 until 2025. Prof. Lauterbach has been a member of the German Parliament for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) since 2005. Prof. Lauterbach completed his medical studies at RWTH Aachen University, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, and the University of Texas San Antonio (USA). He then went on to various research stays and attained additional degrees, including a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Harvard School of Public Health with a focus on epidemiology and health policy and management, a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from Harvard School of Public Health, and a Doctor of Science in Health Policy and Management from Harvard School of Public Health. Lauterbach has been a visiting lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston since 1996. He also headed the Institute for Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology (IGKE) at the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne. During his time as Federal Minister of Health, Prof. Lauterbach advocated for more research, awareness, and improved care for patients with post-infectious syndromes. Among other things, he launched the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) Long COVID Initiative and oversaw the allocation of around €150 million in BMG funding for health services research projects.