| 1940 | born in Datteln, Germany Married, four children 1940 |
Education |
|
| 1959 | High school diploma |
| 1959 - 1961 | Military service, German Bundeswehr, honorably discharged as Reserve Lieutenant |
| 1961 - 1966 | Medical studies in Marburg and Essen, Germany, and Innsbruck, Austria |
| 1967 - 1972 | Training as specialist in general medicine in various clinics in Germany's Ruhr region |
Professional Experience |
|
| 1972 | Starts medical practice in Herne, Germany |
| 1984 | Partner joins medical practice |
| 1983 - 1993 | Chairman of the German Association of General Practitioners (Fachverband Deutscher Allgemeinärzte or FDA) |
| since 1993 | Board member of the Federal Association of German Family Doctors (Deutscher Hausärzteverband) |
| since 1997 | Supervisory Board of STADA Arzneimittel AG, 2002 to September 24, 2009 Chairman |