Prof. Dr. med. Michael Hoelscher, FRCP (Lond)
Head, Unit Global Health (UGH)“I have dedicated my professional life to improving health services for underserved communities, primarily in the Global South. This work is carried out in close and equitable partnership with colleagues in the countries where we operate."
“I have dedicated my professional life to improving health services for underserved communities, primarily in the Global South. This work is carried out in close and equitable partnership with colleagues in the countries where we operate."
Academic career and research areas
Prof. Dr. med. Michael Hoelscher is a physician-scientist with over 30 years of experience in infectious and tropical disease research. He studied medicine at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich (1988–1994) and held research and clinical positions in internal medicine before expanding his expertise in HIV molecular biology at the Walter Reed Army Institute (USA, 2000–2001). In 1996, he co-founded the Mbeya Medical Research Centre (MMRC) in Tanzania, a landmark initiative that grew into one of Africa’s leading infectious disease research centers, with a strong emphasis on local capacity building and scientific independence.
Appointed Professor and Chair of Infectious Diseases & Global Health at LMU in 2014, Prof. Hoelscher has led the Institute of Infectious and Tropical Medicine since then, expanding it into a globally recognized research hub. Since 2024, he also directs the Unit Global Health at Helmholtz Munich and the Fraunhofer site for Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research. He serves as the partner site speaker of DZIF, the German Center of Infection Research. Under his leadership, a state-of-the-art clinical trial unit (iCTU) was established, now sponsoring over 35 global studies.
His research focuses on tuberculosis, HIV, neglected tropical diseases, and pandemic threats. He leads major international consortia, including UNITE4TB, developing new TB regimens with pharma and academic partners, and has initiated TB Sequel, a landmark study on post-TB lung disease. His team developed and clinically advanced BTZ-043, a promising TB drug, currently in phase 2c trials and has conducted pivotal SARS-CoV-2 studies in Germany, including the first confirmed asymptomatic transmission case.
He has received multiple honors, including the Bavarian Order of Merit and appointment as a WHO consultant. His lifelong commitment to global health and translational research continues to shape infectious disease policy and clinical innovation worldwide.
Focus areas, skills and expertise
Infectious Diseases Global HealthDrug Development Diagnostic Assay Development Clinical Trials
Facts and Figures
Head, Unit Global Health (UGH), Helmholtz Munich
Director, Fraunhofer Site for Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research
Director, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, LMU Klinikum
Co-Founder and Chair of the LMU Centre for International Health
Founder and Director of the NIMR Mbeya Medical Research Programme, Tanzania
Honors and Awards
Bavarian Order of Merit 2022
