Berthold Hocher

Prof. Dr. med. Berthold Hocher is a German physician-scientist with extensive expertise in nephrology, endocrinology, laboratory medicine, reproductive medicine, and translational biomedical research. He currently serves as Professor and Research Director at the Fifth Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany, and as Scientific Director for Nephrology, Endocrinology and Laboratory Medicine at the Institute of Medical Diagnostics Berlin-Potsdam. Since 2015, he has also been a consultant at the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya in Changsha, China, and since 2023 he has held a part-time professorship at the School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha.

Prof. Hocher completed the German State Examination in Medicine in 1989, received his doctoral degree in 1990, and subsequently qualified as a consultant physician in internal medicine, nephrology, and laboratory medicine. He obtained his postdoctoral lecture qualification in 1998 with work on renal fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis in endothelin-1 transgenic mice. His professional career includes academic and clinical positions at the Free University of Berlin, Charité Berlin, the University of Berne, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, the University of Potsdam, IMD Berlin, and several Chinese academic institutions.

His scientific work focuses on kidney disease, cardiovascular and endocrine regulation, developmental origins of disease, pregnancy and reproductive medicine, vitamin D metabolism, FGF23 and mineral metabolism, metabolomics, epigenetics, and environmental influences on fetal and neonatal outcomes. He has published more than 390 peer-reviewed articles in leading international journals, including Journal of Clinical Investigation, The Lancet, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Kidney International, Hypertension, Nature Reviews Nephrology, Circulation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Diabetologia, Fertility and Sterility, Human Reproduction, and Environmental International.

Prof. Hocher has an h-index of 73 according to Google Scholar and has supervised more than 60 PhD projects, with several former doctoral students now holding assistant or full professorships. His research has been supported by national funding agencies, foundations, and industry partners. He serves on the editorial boards of Kidney Diseases, Nephron, Kidney & Blood Pressure Research, and Journal of Hypertension, and is a member of professional societies including the Chinese-German Medical Association and the German Society of Nephrology.

His work combines clinical medicine, experimental research, and translational diagnostics, with a particular focus on identifying mechanisms and biomarkers that link kidney, endocrine, reproductive, and cardiovascular health.