With the establishment of the Professorship for Integrative Health and Prevention and the appointment of Prof. Dr. med. Christian Keßler, MA, MSc, effective 1 November 2025, the University of Augsburg is introducing a new academic focus at the intersection of clinical medicine, prevention research, and evidence‑based complementary medicine. The professorship is located within the  Institute of Environmental Medicine and Integrative Health (Director: Prof. Dr. med. Claudia Traidl‑Hoffmann) at the Faculty of Medicine and is made possible through the support of the Sanddorf Foundation. It expands the University of Augsburg’s research profile by adding a multifaceted field that is gaining increasing international relevance and enjoys broad societal acceptance in Germany.

Integrative Medicine is understood here as a scientifically grounded approach that combines conventional medical procedures with evidence‑based methods from complementary medicine and clinical nature-based medicine (German: Naturheilkunde). The professorship aims to contribute to the development of high‑quality, safe, and patient‑centred care by systematically integrating health promotion, prevention, and self‑effectiveness into medical practice. In doing so, it builds directly on the translational research landscape of the University of Augsburg and the Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Through an interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and methodologically rigorous approach, the professorship provides a scientific foundation and framework for investigating efficacy, mechanisms of action, and safety of complementary medicine methods, as well as for developing forward‑looking concepts in health promotion, prevention, and therapy. In this way, it contributes to the advancement of an evidence‑based, sustainable, and economically responsible health care system and significantly strengthens the Faculty of Medicine’s profile in the areas of prevention, health promotion, and personalized medicine.