Helios Stralsund: Strengthening Colorectal Cancer Care

Helios Hanseatic Hospital Stralsund has appointed a new senior physician for its surgical department. Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Leif Schiffmann is an expert in proctology and rectal surgery and previously served for many years as chief physician at Helios Hospital Aue.The 55-year-old will now contribute his expertise to the hospital’s certified colorectal cancer center. He succeeds Dr. med. Stefan Heinrich, who will leave the hospital at the end of May.

Despite his successful career in leading positions, Dr. Schiffmann deliberately decided to move to the Hanseatic city. “I am not attached to any particular job title. I enjoy operating, and here I can do so under excellent conditions,” says the father of four children.

A decisive factor in his move to Stralsund was the forward-looking framework created by the hospital reform: “High-quality medical care, strong professional expertise, and excellent structures are already in place here, including the surgical robot and the certified Visceral Oncology Center.”

In addition, Dr. Schiffmann knows his current chief physician, Prof. Matthias Birth, very well from the Helios professional network. The two hold each other in high regard both professionally and personally.

Alongside his professional expertise, Dr. Schiffmann also brings extensive experience in establishing medical structures. In 2010, he played a key role in founding the first oncology center in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at Rostock University Medical Center. His professional focus lies particularly in rectal surgery, especially the surgical treatment of rectal tumors. In addition, he covers the entire spectrum of modern proctology.

His goal is to further strengthen and meaningfully expand the already well-established procedures and structures at Helios Hanseatic Hospital Stralsund. “I look forward to working together with office-based colleagues and continuing to develop high-level patient care alongside the surgical team,” says Dr. Schiffmann.

Prof. Birth is also pleased about the future collaboration. “With Dr. Heinrich, we are losing a surgeon who is highly respected both professionally and personally. This makes me even more pleased that we were able to ensure a seamless transition and recruit an experienced and highly competent colleague in Dr. Schiffmann,” says the Chief of Surgery and Medical Director.

With the appointment of the new senior physician, the hospital’s expertise in robotic surgery is also growing. For more than four years, Hanseklinikum has operated the DaVinci XI surgical robot, which has already been used in hundreds of surgical procedures.

Biography

Dr. Schiffmann is a board-certified surgeon and specialist in visceral surgery (advanced visceral surgery). In addition, he obtained further qualifications in proctology and endoscopy.

From 2008 to 2013, he followed the traditional surgical career path at Rostock University Surgical Clinic, progressing from functional senior physician to executive senior physician.

In 2013, he took on his first chief physician position at Evangelisches Krankenhaus Lippstadt.

From 2017 to 2019, he headed the coloproctology department at Marburg University Hospital.

Afterward, he served for almost six years as Chief Physician of General and Visceral Surgery at Helios Hospital Aue.

Read more:

• About Helios Hanseatic Hospital Stralsund
• About Prof. Matthias Birth

---

Do you need more information about Helios Hospitals or want to schedule your treatment?

Please contact our Helios International Office. We will gladly advise you!