Balancing clinical routine and research
Masanneck completed his studies with distinction in August 2023 and received the Graduate Award of the University of Potsdam in 2024. For his master’s thesis, he investigated the usage trend of digital health technologies and also analyzed the impact of technical developments on the use of new technologies in clinical trials. “The great thing about medicine is that you can combine different fields: On the one hand, natural sciences and research, where digital technology is playing an increasingly important role. On the other hand, it involves applied work with people, which connects you to real life. At the same time, as a physician with a strong focus on research, I also have the time to conduct studies or help develop something technically. I find this combination very exciting!”
This is often a balancing act. Being an assistant physician in a clinic, Masanneck is now under a lot of pressure when his daily routine includes time-consuming bureaucratic tasks, problem-solving, and unpaid overtime in addition to his medical work. If you ask Masanneck how he manages to continue working on his projects, programming, or being involved in the board of the German Association for Digital Medicine after a full and often difficult-to-plan working day, he replies with a smile, “I’m definitely not bored.”
Slow change
Masanneck’s calm enjoyment of creating and designing is evident. It is the pleasure of understanding things and making unexpected connections. And thus transgressing boundaries that can quickly turn into hurdles in a time of change. These “border crossers” fascinate Masanneck and have often inspired him during his time at the Faculty of Digital Engineering in Potsdam: Whether they were lawyers who took a design course, or a carpenter and architect who learned programming to expand the possibilities of what could be designed and to consider user experience. It is exactly this kind of thinking that distinguishes Masanneck as well as his wish to help shape transformation in the professional field of medicine. In tune with the trend towards digitalization, he wants to help make the profession more attractive – notably by using digital technologies. Not least because of his experiences during the pandemic, which has changed society profoundly. “However, these processes are only progressing at a slow pace in the healthcare system. We work in a field where not everyone can work from home. Nevertheless, digital processes and opportunities to make work more attractive are often not used. It is important to show people how a digital solution can make their everyday work easier to prevent an antagonistic attitude.” For Masanneck, both the healthcare system and researchers must scientifically test such solutions and decide what can ultimately be used in the best way. “I believe that the more people are willing and able to adopt different perspectives, the better we will be at solving specific problems together, on a large and small scale. This is exactly what I often experienced in Potsdam! Coming here was absolutely the right decision. Studying here was a lot of fun and opened up so many opportunities for a versatile career that I probably wouldn’t have had without coming here.”
For the time being, Lars Masanneck has found his place. As an assistant physician in the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Düsseldorf, he appreciates working in a great team and the support of his superiors. However, he still does not follow a rigid career plan. Instead, he is driven by ideas about how good science and medicine can be transferred to healthcare in a meaningful way. “Achieving that would definitely be a dream come true,” Masanneck says, as casually as if he had almost already achieved it. He will persevere, that much is certain.
Lars Masanneck studied medicine in Münster, with study periods abroad in Spain, the US, and Australia. After earning his doctoral degree, he came to the University of Potsdam in 2020 to study for a master’s degree in digital health. For his master’s thesis, he received the 2024 Graduate Award of the Universitätsgesellschaft e.V. At present, he is an assistant physician and clinician scientist at the Neurological Clinic of the University Hospital Düsseldorf.
This text (in german language) was published in the university magazine Portal - Zwei 2024 „Europa“ (PDF).