“Nihil tam difficile est, quin quaerendo investigari possit” (Terenz); “Nothing is so difficult that it cannot be explored”: That is one of the mission statements of every scientist. And it certainly is the statement of Univ.-Doz. Dr. Martin Riegler (Fig. 1).

Univ.-Doz. Dr. Martin Riegler

Martin Riegler was born on the 7th of May 1962 in Vienna. After finishing school, he completed his medical studies at the Medical University of Vienna in 1988.

From 1988 to 1998 he completed his residency in surgery at the old Vienna General Hospital, at the 1st Surgical University Clinic in Vienna. From 1992 to 1997 he has been a research assistant at the Beth Israel Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston. In 2002 he received the venia docendi from the Medical University of Vienna (MUW) for his scientific work. Since 2002, Martin Riegler has specialized in esophageal diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), achalasia and Barrett’s esophagus. He has developed his knowledge and skills by regularly visiting well-known esophageal surgeon Prof. Dr. Tom DeMeester at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles (USA). He and Prof. DeMeester played a leading role in the development of new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of GERD, like the introduction of high-resolution manometry in the esophagus or new methods in anti-reflux surgery like LINX®. Martin Riegler also closely collaborated with reflux expert and esophageal surgeon Prof. Dr. Luigi Bonavina in Milan, Italy, as well as with gastroenterologist Prof. Dr. George Triadafilopoulos in Stanford, CA, USA, who played a key role in the development of radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of Barrett’s esophagus.

From 2005 to 2013, Martin Riegler was head of the functional diagnostics unit of the Department of Surgery at the MUW. Under his leadership, modern technologies were introduced for the first time in Austria, for example high-resolution monitoring of the esophagus, combined impedance ph-measurement, Endoflip™examination and radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of Barrett’s esophagus. Since January 1st 2016, Martin Riegler has been working exclusively in his private practice, but he still collaborates with all his former colleagues and mentors.

In addition to his medical work, Martin Riegler has been the Editor-in-Chief of the internationally renowned surgical journal European Surgery (Springer-Verlag Vienna) since 2003. He used his connections to create a space for many scientists to show their work to the world. He developed the journal with great commitment and dedication. For him, freedom can only be achieved through “openness, education and discipline”.

At the end of the year 2024 he will step down as Editor-in-Chief of European Surgery. But he certainly paved the way for the next generation.

Martin Riegler describes himself as a “secretary for improving the quality of life”.

Martin …enjoy your life! Thank you for your great work as an editor. On behalf of all your colleagues and former companions, we wish you all the best!

Klaus Emmanuel (Executive Chairman of the Faculty Board)

Michael Weitzendorfer (Upcoming Editor-in-Chief)

on behalf of Springer Verlag, we would like to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to Martin Riegler. We would like to emphasise not only his outstanding expertise and friendly manner, for which we are deeply grateful, but also his visionary approach to the development of the journal.

The following quotes from two great masters of their fields best describe the attitude of Martin Riegler as Editor-in-Chief of European Surgery: “Wo aber Gefahr ist, wächst das Rettende auch” and: “Don’t worry about anything, because every little thing will be alright”.

It was his unshakable calm and steadfast confidence that everything would be fine in the end, and his unwavering belief in the proverbial good in all people, that made him a successful Editor-in-Chief of European Surgery.

The success of his twenty-year term as Editor-in-Chief is something to be proud of: The journal has achieved an impact factor that currently stands at 0.6, and the number of full-text downloads has risen to 170,216.

What made working with Martin Riegler so enjoyable, even inspiring, beyond the purely technical aspects, was not only his scholarship, but also his erudition which astonished everyone who worked with him. The uniqueness of his editorials, characterized by a poetic and often philosophical approach, should also be emphasised. It is often the subtle connections between medicine, art and science that are sensitively described and presented in these editorials. In this sense, his editorials offer not only professional insight, but also an inspiring perspective on the role of surgery in modern medicine.

We wish Univ.-Doz. Dr. Martin Riegler all the best for the future!

Birgit Schmidle-Loss (Head of Journals & Publishing)

Lukas Indra (Associate Publisher)