Stefan Anker

Professor of Cardiology

MD PhD

Charite University Hospital, Berlin, Germany

Expertise

Heart Failure Co-morbidities Prevention & Chronic Conditions Diabetes Imaging and Diagnosis Cardiomyopathy Obesity Devices Chronic Kidney Disease Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD)Guidelines & Statements Hypertension Cardiovascular Renal Metabolic Lifestyle

Biography

Prof Stefan D Anker is a German cardiologist born in Berlin, Germany. He studied medicine at Charité Medical School of Humboldt University Berlin, where he completed his medical degree in 1993. He later pursued research training at the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, completing his PhD in 1998. Following his return to Germany, Prof Anker held academic and research positions at Charité Berlin and later at University Medical Center Göttingen before returning to Charité in 2017 to serve as Professor of (Tissue) Homeostasis in Cardiology & Metabolism. His work has taken him across multiple institutions and countries through long-standing international collaborations.

Academic History

Prof Anker began his medical education at Charité Medical School, graduating in 1993. He then continued postgraduate academic training in both Germany and the United Kingdom, completing his PhD at the National Heart & Lung Institute in London in 1998. Early in his career, he became Professor of Cardiology & Cachexia Research at Charité, a position he held from 2002 to 2014. He then served as Professor of Innovative Clinical Trials at the University Medical Center Göttingen from 2014 to 2017. In June 2017, he was appointed Professor of (Tissue) Homeostasis in Cardiology & Metabolism at Charité Berlin, where he continues his clinical and research activities.

Career Overview

Prof Anker is globally recognised for his pioneering work in heart failure, cachexia, sarcopenia, and cardiometabolic research. He has authored more than 1,000 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is consistently listed among the most highly cited researchers worldwide. His research focuses on disease mechanisms, metabolism, and therapeutic innovation in heart failure and muscle wasting conditions.

He has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Copernicus Prize in 2018 for outstanding German-Polish scientific collaboration, and he has been honoured with a Doctor honoris causa from the Medical University Wroclaw.

Prof Anker has served on the board of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) since 2006 and was its President from 2012 to 2014. He also served as Vice-President of the ESC and continues to chair key committees. He has contributed to multiple ESC guideline task forces and has been a senior editorial figure across several major journals.

He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of ESC Heart Failure, the ESC’s first open-access heart failure journal, and the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. He is also the founding President of the International Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders (SCWD), an organisation that unites researchers and clinicians worldwide.

Career Timeline

1993: M.D. from Charité Medical School, Berlin, Germany
1998: Ph.D. from the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London
2002–2014: Professor of Cardiology & Cachexia Research, Charité Berlin
2006–present: Board Member, Heart Failure Association (HFA), European Society of Cardiology
2008–present: Founding President, SCWD
2010–present: Founding Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle
2012–2014: President, Heart Failure Association of the ESC
2014–2017: Professor of Innovative Clinical Trials, University Medical Center Göttingen
2014–2022: Founding Editor-in-Chief, ESC Heart Failure
2016–2018: Vice-President, European Society of Cardiology
2017–present: Professor of (Tissue) Homeostasis in Cardiology & Metabolism, Charité Berlin

Recognition

Prof Anker has received major national and international awards for his contributions to cardiovascular medicine and muscle wasting research. His honours include the Copernicus Prize for German-Polish scientific collaboration and an honorary doctorate from the Medical University Wroclaw. He is a frequent keynote lecturer at global medical and scientific conferences and is widely cited for his leadership in heart failure research.