I have my roots in the southwest of Germany. After graduating from high school, I did my basic military service in Regensburg, Kempten and Mainz and studied biochemistry for 4 semesters at the Eberhard-Karls-University in Tübingen.

My actual field of study, human medicine, I then took at the RWTH Aachen and successfully completed in 1988 with the 'medical examination'. My scientific interest then turned to the field of pharmacology of the immune system. At the pharmacological institute in Aachen I worked on the effect of anti-allergic pharmaceuticals on human mast cells. I was able to complete my doctorate in May 1991.

My professional activity led me first to a small hospital of primary care and then to a hospital of regular care with some specializations. In this way I had the opportunity to get to know the entire field of internal medicine. My specialisations were gastroenterology, diabetology and rheumatology. In June 1995, I was awarded the specialist qualification for internal medicine. In addition, I was able to obtain various certificates of specialization. From 1995 I worked in an internal medicine specialist practice. There, the complete field of gastroenterological diagnostics was covered, and patients with complex clinical pictures (e.g. diabetics with insulin pump therapy) were also intensively cared for. My activities in the inpatient as well as in the outpatient area were under the sign of increasing scarcity of resources in Health Care. Professional ways of coping were sought. I was able to gain experience with analyses of care processes and cost structures in both areas. In the outpatient sector, the pressure for economical treatment was much greater, so that cost analyses and justifications had to be worked out on a regular basis.

On March 1, 2000, I was appointed professor at the Hochschule Niederrhein.

Here I was involved in the development of the Degree programme in Health Care from the very beginning. From the foundation of the Faculty of Health Care on 01.09.2010 until 28.02.2018, I was also Dean of the faculties of

An overview of all publications can be found on the website Researchgate

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benno_Neukirch/contributions

Here is a selection of the completed projects:

• With the working group 'Krefeld against Diabetes', a screening campaign was carried out on the population and evaluated. The data from the approximately 6,500 participants allowed conclusions to be drawn about a high number of undetected cases of diabetes in the population.
• Another screening campaign was carried out and evaluated with the working group 'Krefeld against Diabetes' and the city of Krefeld. This time, data were collected from secondary school students at all schools in the city. The approximately 2,500 participants had their blood glucose, height and weight measured, and information on leisure activities and eating habits was collected.
• Together with the Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Department of Safety Engineering, Department of Occupational Physiology, Occupational Medicine and Infection Protection, a project was carried out on 'Costs of the introduction to stab-proof instruments in hospitals'. The results were presented in poster form.
• Evaluation of a project on integrated care in collaboration with Henkel, BKK Essanelle, DRV Rheinland and service providers.

• The survey of health-related work productivity in a larger company was also completed. Risk parameters in general and a self-report on work ability using the Work Limitation Questionnaire (WLQ) were surveyed.

• Several research projects determined the cost-benefit ratio of telemedicine in heart failure for statutory health insurers.
• Another research project determined the effects of intensive health promotion in the workplace setting. Information on this project can be foundhere.

The following projects are currently in progress or planned:

Interested students are welcome to contact me:

• There is a research cooperation with the HGC (Düsseldorf) and the INGEF (Berlin). Together we are working on questions of health services research. Routine data of the GKV are used. We also deal with topics of the HEOR.