Prof. Dr. med. Roland Michael Schmid

Prof. Dr. med. Roland M. Schmid's work focuses on diseases in which inflammation, metabolic disturbances, and cellular changes can have far-reaching consequences for the digestive system. As director of the clinic and polyclinic for internal medicine II at TUM Clinic Rechts der Isar in Munich, he brings together gastroenterology, hepatology, endocrinology, and metabolic medicine, with a particular interest in pancreatic diseases. His clinical work addresses both common digestive disorders and complex conditions that require detailed diagnostic assessment and coordination between different medical specialties. Pancreatic disease is a particularly important focus of his work. The doctor is involved in the management of pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, and other pancreatic lesions, where distinguishing between inflammatory, precancerous, and malignant changes can be challenging. Advanced endoscopic techniques, including endoscopic ultrasound and ERCP, play an important role in this field by allowing detailed investigation and, where appropriate, intervention within the gastrointestinal and biliary systems. He also contributes to the multidisciplinary assessment of patients whose treatment requires close cooperation between gastroenterologists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and oncologists. What gives his work a distinctive scientific dimension is the connection between clinical gastroenterology and the molecular biology of pancreatic cancer. His research examines how chronic inflammation, genetic alterations and metabolic changes interact during the earliest stages of tumor development and how these processes might be interrupted. Rather than considering pancreatic cancer only after it has become clinically apparent, this work looks deeper into the biological events that allow the disease to emerge and progress. The combination of specialist clinical care and translational cancer research shapes his contribution to internal medicine in Munich.