Structure

The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Osteology (LBIO) was founded in 1991 through a partnership agreement between Austrian Workers‘ Compensation Board (AUVA), Vienna Health Insurance Fund (WGKK) – now Austrian Social Health Insurance Fund (OEGK) and Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) at the Hanusch Hospital and the Trauma Centre Meidling, with Prof Klaus Klaushofer, MD, serving as the Scientific and Administrative Head until the end of 2018. As from 1 January 2019, he was succeeded by Assoc.Prof Jochen Zwerina, MD. A Board oversees the scientific and administrative activities of the LBIO with Board members representing the partner institutions (AUVA, OEGK, LBG). Special emphasis was placed on the organisation and performance of multidisciplinary basic and clinical research in bone and mineral metabolism with the main focus on translational medicine. Thus, the LBIO serves as the scientific core centre within a multidisciplinary clinical network located at the two hospitals targeting diagnosis and treatment of bone and joint diseases.

The LBIO is headed by Jochen Zwerina. Furthermore, the institute is adviced by an Orthopaedics and Traumatology Consultant (Roland Frank) as well as a Basic Science Consultant (Peter Fratzl) as well as a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Internally the institute is structured in 4 Program Lines (PLs). PL1 (Material Science – Organic Matrix headed by Eleftherios Paschalis), PL3 (Clinical Science headed by Roland Kocijan) and PL4 (Skeletal Cryo-Biopsy headed by Judith Haschka and Reinhold Erben) are located at the Hanusch Hospital, while PL2 (Material Science – Mineral, Structure, Function headed by Markus Hartmann) is located at the Trauma Centre Meidling.