Prof. Eberhard Rabe, MD

A colleague had this to say: “Active as an executive officer in many European phlebology societies over the last several years, Dr. Rabe has worked with his colleagues to unify and standardize the curriculum as the base for all further endeavors.”

Where do you see the specialty of phlebology in 5 years? 10 years?

The interest in phlebology will grow due to a higher prevalence in the older population in our countries. More and more interdisciplinary societies of phlebology are founded even today also in countries like India and China.

A decade ago, few would have foreseen the crossover in types of vein treatments being offered at other specialty practices. Where do you think the next big movement is going to be and how will it affect vein practice?

Genetic decoding of reasons for varicose veins and venous insufficiency would be a huge progress and might also influence treatment strategies. This would possibly make preventive strategies possible which we don’t have today for varicose veins.

What is the biggest challenge in your work?

To discover venous diseases as early as possible and being able to treat minimally invasive with a long-lasting outcome to reduce invalidity and quality of life loss.

Describe an unlikely success story.

A young girl with a huge extra-truncular venous malformation of the leg, operated several times and with permanent pain which we treated successfully with foam sclerotherapy

Are you involved in leading or teaching educational symposiums at clinics, hospitals, universities, etc? Please share your experiences.

Yes, I’m involved in phlebological teaching in my university but also in many congresses and symposia outside. The impression of the last years is an increasing interest in this field especially in phlebological congresses with growing numbers of participants.

What efforts have you been involved in to foster cooperation (rather than competition) between the various venous educational organizations so that the greatest number has access to the advances in the diagnosis and treatment of venous disease?

As the president of the International Union of Phlebology it is my job to foster cooperation between the national societies and organisations worldwide. Currently we are working on a worldwide curriculum and on a network of consensus statement which will enable us to speak with the same language.

Have you been actively involved in any public awareness campaigns? Please give us the details on how the campaign was structured, examples of campaign materials and the response received from the community in which you practice.

As president of the German Society of Phlebology I was involved in several of such campaigns. We are continuously fostering patients information activities and also awareness programs in pharmacies. The response in the population is usually enormous.

Who or what inspires you the most?

My first phlebological teacher Norbert Klueken

If you could do anything else for a living, what would it be? Why?

I could think of many things but being a farmer, maybe in a vineyard, could be fine. At least in my romantic imagination.

What question did we not ask that we should? Now, answer it!!

Do you like your profession and your job? Yes!