As a gastroenterologist I mostly see patients with pancreatic disorders ranging from pancreatitis to cancer and as a researcher I was trained to participate in basic science projects as well as clinical projects ranging from randomized clinical trials to interventional endoscopy. During my training I repeatedly switched between work at the bedside and bench and spent time in laboratories focusing on pancreatic cancer (at Berne and UCL Irvine), cell biology (UCLA), and interventional endoscopy (Lister fellow, Glasgow). My research interest parallels the diseases of my patients and my laboratory has focused on the pathogenesis, genetics, and cell biology of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Most of our projects are by design translational. The benefits of serving as a department chair at the University of Munich, whose medical school internationally top ranked, include the opportunity to transfer experimental research results directly into multicentre clinical trials (e.g. the META-PAC trial or MagPEP Trial NCT00142233). The principal focus of my grants, as well as my personal interest and expertise, involve the immunological response in pancreatitis and the role of early detection and treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer.