Plastic surgeon Leila Harhaus skillfully repairs the hands of her patients while successfully leading a research laboratory

 

Before starting our interview with Prof. Leila Harhaus, congratulations were in order. She had just received a W3 full professor tenured position as Chair for Hand- and Microsurgery at the Charité in Berlin. There, she will use her invaluable skills to heal her patients and train a new generation of surgeons. This will change the field of hand surgery and lead to positive outcomes for patients for decades to come.

 

However, Leila is not only an accomplished surgeon, but also a successful principal investigator. Her laboratory has been focused on 3 major clusters, including tackling the causes of osteoporosis, improving regeneration in peripheral nerve injuries and important health services research.

 

In her free time the mother of three children loves to hear about spaceships from her oldest son, play the piano or enjoy having friends and family over for a delicious meal that she has prepared together with her husband.

 

We caught Leila right before her big move to Berlin and we were excited to hear all about her career and her future plans.

 

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Please tell us about your origins. Where did you grow up and when did you decide to become a physician?

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I grew up in the middle of Germany, in a very normal and unspectacular city.

I was always very interested in biology and nature. When I was around 14, I thought it might be a good goal to combine these interests in order to help other people. I did my first internship in the small hospital in our city and I was instantly “infected” by medicine.

 

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What university path did you take to achieve your goal?

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During the beginning of my studies in Mainz I had no specific discipline in mind, but eventually I figured out that surgery was my passion and I found reconstructive and hand surgery ignited that passion. Therefore, I moved to the University to Freiburg because I had the opportunity to spend parts of the last “practical year” in reconstructive surgery.

 

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You decided to specialize in plastic surgery, in particular hand reconstruction. What triggered this decision?

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I like the delicate structures of the hand and the meticulous work that is necessary in microsurgery to connect the nerves and vessels. In addition, there are many cases where there is no “standard surgery.” You always have to consider the details of each case, be creative and find the best solution for the individual patient.

 

 

What was the most complicated surgical procedure you have ever conducted?

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My most complicated procedure was probably a 1-year-old child who was born with pterygium, meaning the leg is completely flexed and the structures shortened. Everyone wanted to amputate this leg, but we instead tried to lengthen and reconstruct the entire appendage. Now she is 5 years old, running, dancing and cycling with both her legs.

 

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You are an incoming W3 Professor or Chair for Hand- and Microsurgery at Berlin’s famous Charité Hospital. This will be the first university chair of its kind in Germany. How did that come about and what will your new responsibilities be?

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That is true. I am very humbled that this development of Germany’s first W3 chair for Hand Surgery is happening now, when I am ready to take my career to the next level. This chair reflects the development of hand surgery and its increasing importance. Hand injuries make up 40% of all injuries and have a huge impact on the individual physically, mentally and socially.

My responsibilities will be to further develop this topic clinically while also embedding it into the recent health political changes in Germany. I want to create a nationwide reference center for hand surgery and a platform for high-level research.

 

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What are you particularly looking forward to concerning your new position?

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There are many aspects I am looking forward to tackle, including internal ones like building a team and developing my colleagues and their careers. Then there are the external aspects I mentioned before.

 

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You are also leading a laboratory that focuses on several research clusters. How did you start out as a principal investigator in parallel to your career as a plastic surgeon?

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I started my research activities very early during my first year when I was in Göttingen, where I was part of a huge osteoporosis research group. After moving to Ludwigshafen, I was lucky to receive my first DFG grant so I could start building my own research group. My hospital was very generous in providing free spaces and time to conduct the studies. By that time, my clinical focus changed more onto the topic of peripheral nerve injuries and rehabilitation, so the two other research clusters developed more and more.

 

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What is the most important discovery your laboratory made?

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We found out the behavior and course of specific bone growth factors during osteoporotic fracture healing and options to qualitatively and quantitatively improve the fracture healing process in osteoporotic individuals.

 

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Do you have any advice for students who want to follow in your path?

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I have three main points of advice. First, start early and never say “tomorrow.” Second, take any chance you can and do not hesitate to go through doors which are opening for you. Finally, build a strong team because only together can you be successful.

 

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Who, what, when, where & why?

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Who?

- would you like conduct research with if you had the chance?

With you (Nicole Kilian, the interviewer <3).

 

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What?

- do you like to do in your free time?

Spend every minute with my family, my 3 little children.

 

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When?

- do you find inspiration for your research?

I find inspiration in conversations with other researchers and sometimes while riding the train or when I swim.

 

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Where?

- is your favorite travel destination?

Greece, more specifically Crete.

 

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Why?

- did you choose your specific research topic(s)?

To be honest, I did not always choose them. I was just in the right place at the right time. That might have been destiny or only coincidence, who knows? Later my research focused more on my main clinical areas like nerve injuries, etc.

 

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How?

- do you deal with setbacks?

I am disappointed for sure, but I talk with my husband about these situations and he helps me set everything in the right light again and motivates me to proceed.

 

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…or?

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Attend a party or be the host?

Be the host.

 

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Museum or movie theatre?

Museum.

 

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Sneakers or dress shoes?

Dress shoes.

 

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Optimist or pessimist?

Always optimist.

 

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Ambition or comfort?

Always ambition, comfort is not an option.

 

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See the future or change the past?

See the future.

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The interview was conducted by Nicole Kilian and has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Image sources: Leila Harhaus.

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