Nikolaos E. Bechrakis, MD FEBOphth
Professor of Ophthalmology, Chairman
Department of Ophthalmology
Universitätsmedizin Essen
Place and date of birth : Bern / Switzerland, 22.11.1964 Nationality: Greek (by birth) and German (since 2005)
Medical school:
1982 – 1986 Medical faculty of the Universität des Saarlandes /Homburg, Germany
1986 – 1989 Medical faculty of the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
1991 – 1995: Residency:Department of Ophthalmology (Chairman: Prof. Dr. M.H. Foerster)
Universitätsklinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Fellowships:
1989: Ophthalmic Pathology: Professor W.R. Green, Wilmer Institute, Johns

Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

1990: Ophthalmic Pathology: Professor W.R.Lee, Tennent Institute of
Ophthalmology, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
1995-1997 : Anterior segment surgery / Cornea: Professor F. Hoffmann
Retina (Medical / Surgical): Professor M.H. Foerster Ophthalmic Oncology: Professor N. Bornfeld Department of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum Benjamin Franklin, Charité, Berlin Hospital / Academic appointments :
1997 Consultant, Department of Ophthalmology, Charité, Berlin
2001 Privatdozent, (Assoc. Prof.) Department of Ophthalmology, Charité, Berlin
2005 Professor of Ophthalmology and Deputy Chairman,
Department of Ophthalmology, Charité, Berlin, Germany

2007 Appointment for the Chairman position of the Departments of Ophthalmology at the Medical Universities of Schleswig-Holstein in Lübeck/ Germany and Innsbruck/Austria; after decline of the appointment in Lübeck:

2008 Professor of Ophthalmology and Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria

2018 Professor of Ophthalmology and Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology Universitätsklinikum Essen, Germany

Editorial board:
 Greek Annals of Ophthalmology
 Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde
 Graefe ́s Archive of Ophthalmology
 Ophthalmologe
 Spektrum der Augenheilkunde
Member:
 Austrian Ophthalmological Society
 American Academy of Ophthalmology
 European Ophthalmic Pathology Society
 German Ophthalmological Society
 Gonin-Club
 Hellenic Ophthalmological Society
Executive Board Member:
 Austrian Ophthalmological Society (ÖOG): EBO/education representative of ÖOG
 Austrian Representative of Ophthalmology at UEMS Council and EBO European
Board of Ophthalmology
 Director of the Austrian Board of Ophthalmology
 Director of the European Leadership Development Program (EuLDP)
of the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE)
Prizes:
 2nd painting award Greece (1974 – Athens – Greece)
 Recipient of the Leonhard-Klein Prize of the German Science Foundation and German
Ophthalmological Society for the development of significant innovations in ophthalmic
microsurgery (2003 – Berlin – Germany).
 3rd Prize of the Annual Research Competition (2003 – Charité – Germany)
 three times consecutively “Professor of the 8th term” (2010 – 2016 Innsbruck Medical
University)
 Axenfeld Prize (Co-author Kreusel at Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde – 2011)
 Honorary doctorate by the Univ. of Athens (October 2014 – Athens – Greece)
 Vice-President of the German Ophthalmologial Society Patent: Ophthalmic Transilluminator Bibliography: (by March 2022)
Peer reviewed journals: n: 196 Books and other Monographs: 31 Invited speaker: Ophthalmological Societies of: USA, China, Japan, Greece, Germany, Austria, France, Slovenia, S. Korea, Armenia, Italy, Algeria

 Investigator and principal Investigator in several clinical phase III studies
 Organization of more than 70 scientific meetings / symposia Selected Publications

 Grumme L, Biewald E, Reschke M, et al. Comparing efficacy and side effects of two systemic chemotherapy regimens for eye-preserving therapy in children with retinoblastoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69(2): e29362.
 Opitz M, Bos D, Deuschl C, et al. Estimation of radiation exposure of children undergoing superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy for retinoblastoma treatment: assessment of local diagnostic reference levels as a function of age, sex, and interventional success. Neuroradiology 2021; 63(3): 391-8.
 Kiefer T, Schluter S, Bechrakis NE, et al. Intraarterial Chemotherapy for Retinoblastoma – Initial Experiences of a German Reference Centre. Klin Monbl Augenheilkd 2021; 238(7): 788-96.
 Dittner-Moormann S, Reschke M, Abbink FCH, et al. Adjuvant therapy of histopathological risk factors of retinoblastoma in Europe: A survey by the European Retinoblastoma Group (EURbG). Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021; 68(6): e28963.
 Biewald E, Kiefer T, Geismar D, et al. Feasibility of Proton Beam Therapy as a Rescue Therapy in Heavily Pre-Treated Retinoblastoma Eyes. Cancers (Basel) 2021;
13(8).
 Ting SC, Kiefer T, Ehlert K, et al. Bone metastasis of retinoblastoma five years after primary treatment. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep 2020; 19: 100834.
 Biewald EM, Bornfeld N, Metz KA, et al. Histopathology of retinoblastoma eyes enucleated after intra-arterial chemotherapy. Br J Ophthalmol 2020; 104(8): 1171-5.
 Biewald E, Schluter S, Bechrakis NE, et al. Long-Term Clinical Results and Management following Vitrectomy in Undetected Retinoblastoma Eyes. Ocul Oncol Pathol 2020; 6(4): 244-50.
 Lemke AJ, Kazi I, Mergner U, et al. Retinoblastoma – MR appearance using a surface
coil in comparison with histopathological results. Eur Radiol 2007; 17(1): 49-60.
 Bechrakis NE, Bornfeld N, Schueler A, Coupland SE, Henze G, Foerster MH. Clinicopathologic features of retinoblastoma after primary chemoreduction. Arch Ophthalmol 1998; 116(7): 887-93.