Portrait Arnold von Eckardstein

Arnold von Eckardstein
Prof. Dr. med.

Director of the Institute, Institute of Clinical Chemistry

Other functions at USZ

  • Chair of the POCT Commission, Medical Division Diagnostics
  • Co-Director University Center for Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (UZL)

Specialties

  • Laboratory medicine/clinical chemistry
  • Dyslipidemia
  • Biomarkers and risk factors of cardiovascular diseases

Other competencies

  • Prevention of cardiovascular diseases
  • Clinical evaluation of biomarker candidates
  • Coordination of research consortia
  • Teaching: Teaching as well as planning and implementing new concepts in student teaching and further and advanced training in laboratory medicine

Career

since October 2001 Director of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry at the University Hospital Zurich and Full Professor of Clinical Chemistry at the University of Zurich
2001 Appointment as Full Professor of Clinical Chemistry at the University of Zurich
2000 Appointment as Associate Professor, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
1994 Habilitation and Venia Legendi for “Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine”, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
1993 -2001 Attending Physician and Deputy Director of the Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Münster and Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
1993 Specialist in laboratory medicine by the Westphalia-Lippe Medical Association (recognized by the BAG as equivalent to a specialist in laboratory medicine FAMH with a focus on clinical chemistry)
1993 Clinical Chemist by the German Society for Clinical Chemistry
1989 Doctorate (Dr. med.) (Human Genetics, Justus Liebig University Giessen)
1988-2001 Research group leader at the Institute for Arteriosclerosis Research at the University of Münster
1988-1993 Resident, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Münster and Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
1986-1988 Resident, Medical Clinic of the Bürgerhospital Frankfurt/Main
1986 License to practice medicine
1979 -1986 Studied human medicine at Justus Liebig University Giessen and Christian Albrechts University Kiel
1979 A-levels

Most important memberships

National

  • Swiss Society for Clinical Chemistry (2003-2011 Board member, 2004 – 2006 Chairman of the Technical Commission, 2006-2008 President, 2009 – 2011 Treasurer, since 2009 representative of the SGKC in the Laboratory Commission of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences)
  • Lipids and Atherosclerosis Working Group of the Swiss Society of Cardiology (= Swiss Atherosclerosis Society: member of the Board since 2006, President 2013-2017)

International

  • German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (2000-2003 Board Member; 2000-2006 Editor-in-Chief of “LaboratoriumsMedizin/Journal of Laboratory Medicine”)
  • German Society for Arteriosclerosis Research (2000-2009 board member, 2003-2006 president, 2006-2009 deputy president)
  • European Lipoprotein Club (2001-2012 Member of the Organizing Committee, 2008-2012 Chairman)
  • DACH Society for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases (Board member since 2012)
  • European Atherosclerosis Society (2012 – 2020 Board Member, 2017-2020 Secretary, 2016-2024 Editor-in-Chief “Atherosclerosis”, since 2022 Chairman of the Election Committee, since 2022 Member of the Anitschkow Award Jury)

Membership of editorial boards of scientific journals and books

  • Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (2006-2023)
  • Atherosclerosis (since 2001, 2008-2015 Associate Editor, since 2016 Editor-in-Chief)
  • Biochimica Biophysica Acta Molecular Biology of Lipids (since 2016)
  • Cardiovascular Research (since 2019)
  • Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (2006-2020)
  • European Heart Journal (since 2011)
  • Journal of Lipid Research (2006-2017)
  • Tietz Textbook of Laboratory Medicine (7th Edition, 2023)

Research focus

  • Structure, function, metabolism and clinical significance of lipoproteins
  • Risk factors and biomarkers of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

Further

  • Since 2003 Director of the University Center for Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich
  • Coordinator of the “Mantelstudium” (since 2004) and the Research Focus Week (since 2021) in the medical degree program at the University of Zurich
  • Since 2008 also entitled to award doctorates at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the University of Zurich
  • Founding director of the Certificate of Advanced Studies course “Laboratory Medicine” at the University of Zurich
  • Co-author of several national and European recommendations on the management of lipid metabolism disorders
  • Editor and author of several textbooks or textbooks on biochemistry, pathophysiology, laboratory medicine, differential diagnostics or atherosclerosis