Team

Christoph Aufricht is a professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine with a focus on nephrology and gastroenterology and head of the Department of Nephrology and Gastroenterology at the Medical University of Vienna. His scientific work focuses on the optimization of renal replacement therapy in pediatrics (kidney transplantation and dialysis). In basic research, he has a particular focus on peritoneal dialysis through the investigation and modulation of the cellular stress response. (Christian Doppler Laboratory for Molecular Stress Research in Peritoneal Dialysis) Christoph Aufricht is the founder of the POeT dissertation program and a coordinator and leading researcher in several European research networks (e.g., the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network EUDOPD [HE-MSCA-2023-DN] of the Horizon Europe program). His scientific expertise plays a key role in all subprojects at the Living Lab. Together with Michael Böhm, he leads the working group's weekly meetings. He is currently primarily involved in the Animedes and MOMO4care projects.
Email: christoph.aufricht@meduniwien.ac.at

Michael Böhm is a pediatrician with a subspecialty in pediatric nephrology. He heads the IMC ward E07 of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Vienna University Hospital. His academic career began with translational research in peritoneal dialysis, where he completed a research stay of several months at the University of Amsterdam (Prof. Rob Beelen) and carried out projects at the Center for Biomedical Research and at the adult peritoneal dialysis unit (Prof. Vychytil). This led to his interest in epidemiological issues (quality of care), which resulted in collaborations with the dialysis registry of the European Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ESPN/ERA-EDTA) and publications on vascular access in children undergoing hemodialysis and transplantation in young children (body weight less than 10 kg). Since receiving funding from the Austrian National Bank's Anniversary Fund in 2016, however, his focus has shifted to the topic of patient safety in children undergoing organ replacement therapy and transplantation. Third-party funding has enabled the development of a growing working group within the Department of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology at the University Hospital of Vienna. Experts from within and outside the university have subsequently been recruited as co-design partners. Michael Böhm is the head of the Living Lab and its core projects and coordinates the weekly interdisciplinary meeting.
Email: michael.boehm@meduniwien.ac.at

Lisa Daniel-Fischer has been a trainee at the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of the University Hospital Vienna since 2019 and a member of the working group since 2020, where her research focuses on structured communication in everyday clinical practice. She is responsible for the project "Evidence-based discharge letters - improving patient safety through structured communication." Other research interests outside the Living Lab include basic nephrological research. In 2019 and 2020, she completed a rotation at the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Molecular Stress Research in Peritoneal Dialysis as part of her PhD project to learn methods of translational and basic research. Her projects include peritoneal inflammation and its effects on peritoneal immunometabolism and cellular function in a longitudinal cohort of patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis. Lisa Daniel-Fischer is currently on parental leave.
Email: lisa.daniel-fischer@meduniwien.ac.at

Fabian Eibensteiner is a junior physician in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology and completed his one-year Physician Researcher Pathway Scholarship at the Institute of Medical Statistics (supervision: Assoc. Prof. Franz König) starting in summer 2024. A main goal of his research is to diagnose complications after kidney transplantation (e.g. rejection, infections, non-adherence) earlier and more accurately and to improve long-term outcomes for children and adolescents with kidney transplants through appropriate interventions. To this end, he uses various translational methods of immune, symptom and biomarker monitoring, multi-omics, bioinformatics methods and statistical modeling. His second research focus is on research into complications of peritoneal dialysis and ways of reducing these, from animal models to humans. Fabian Eibensteiner is, among other things, a board member of the Basic Science Committee of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT), an Associate Editor at Transplant International (TI), and a Young Austrian Representative in the Young Paediatric Nephrology Network (YPNN) of the European Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ESPN). In the Living Lab, he is primarily responsible for the SysDOC project.
Email: fabian.eibensteiner@meduniwi.ac.at

Rebecca Einspieler has been a resident at the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology since 2021 and a member of the working group for just as long. Her clinical training focuses on pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology. Consequently, a central focus of her research is qualitative patient safety research in this area. She is particularly interested in electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) to gain a better understanding of the subjective course of disease from the perspective of patients and their families. Rebecca Einspieler is primarily responsible for establishing the SysDOC project in the pediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic. She will begin her one-year Physician Researcher Pathway Scholarship in June 2026.
Email: rebecca.einspieler@meduniwien.ac.at

Andreas Heilos completed his special medical training at the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology. His current clinical focus is on specializing in pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology. His research interests include neonatal cholestasis and biliary atresia, as well as outcomes after pediatric liver transplantation. A grant is currently being prepared for an innovative project for the early detection of extrahepatic biliary atresia.
Email: andreas.heilos@meduniwien.ac.at

Judith Hochrainer is a trained pharmaceutical and medical biotechnologist and elementary school teacher. We were able to recruit her for the Living Lab in 2024. In this environment, she can ideally combine her expertise in biotechnological/pharmaceutical research with her experience working with children and families. Her biotechnological and pharmaceutical expertise is based on a master's thesis at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at the Medical University of Vienna and practical laboratory experience as a student laboratory assistant at the Department of Pharmacology at the Karl Landsteiner Private University. She also has professional experience in clinical research as a Clinical Research Associate at Novo Nordisk. As part of the PhD project Animedes ("High-Risk Medication"), her goal is "to conduct research not about, but with, those affected."
Email: judith.hochrainer@meduniwien.ac.at

Lukas Kaltenegger completed his special medical training from 2015 to 2022 at the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology, which also included a one-year research leave in 2021 as part of the Physician Researcher Pathway Scholarship at the Institute of Medical Statistics (supervised by Associate Professor Dr. Franz König). In addition to specializing in pediatric nephrology, his clinical practice also includes training in pediatric sonography. Lukas Kaltenegger is responsible for the project "Trigger Tools & Outcome" (Long-term outcome after pediatric kidney transplantation: Trigger tools and socioeconomic aspects).
Email: lukas.kaltenegger@meduniwien.ac.at

Axana Selzer (Hietzing Clinic, Patient Safety and Quality Staff Unit) played a key role in conducting our research group's OeNB-funded study and was able to publish this work in a top journal (Selzer A, et al.: Parents' understanding of medication at discharge and potential harm in children with medical complexity – Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2024). She is currently completing her PhD and can already contribute her expertise to the Hietzing Clinic as a member of the Patient Safety team. At Hietzing Clinic, her main responsibilities include the organizational management of CRM simulation training and as a member of the working group on collegial support (KoHi), also known as mental health first aid or peer support. She thus forms a valuable interface with a potential cooperation partner in the in-hospital area or in applied patient safety.

Isabella Valent has been a resident and part of the working group since February 2021. Her clinical focus is on pediatric rheumatology. As part of her research, she aims to use qualitative research methods (e.g., qualitative, semi-structured interviews) to collect endpoints relevant to the affected children and adolescents, their caregivers, and medical and therapeutic staff. Her key areas of responsibility and responsibilities in the Living Lab include the projects Targeted Training in Pediatric Rheumatology, SysDOC in Pediatric Rheumatology, and supporting the establishment of morbidity and mortality conferences.
Email: isabella.valent@meduniwien.ac.at

After studying human medicine, Christina Zachbauer completed her training as a general practitioner at the Mödling-Baden Federal State Hospital and subsequently completed her specialist training as a pediatrician at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of the University Hospital Vienna, specializing in gastroenterology and nephrology. She has been a member of the working group since 2020. Her research focus (as senior physician in charge of the ward) is on appropriate ("child-friendly or layperson-friendly") communication with patients and parents, as well as on interdisciplinary palliative care for chronically, critically ill children and adolescents on the IMC ward E07. Christina Zachbauer is responsible for the MOMO4care@CCP project.
Email: christina.zachbauer@meduniwien.ac.at