Hans‑Joachim Schäfers received his medical degree from the University of Essen, Germany. He was awarded the Research Award for Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Giessen in 1991 and the Presidential Award of the International College of Chest Physicians in 1993. Hans‑Joachim is currently the Director of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the University Hospitals of Saarland in Homburg, Germany. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and author/co-author/editor of 4 books and more than 390 scientific publications.
