Award for a pioneering emergency care concept

16/09/2026 14:09

Dr. Stephan Düsterwald, Lead Physician at the Simulation and Emergency Medicine Academy (SiNA) at Helios Hospital Hildesheim, has received the prestigious Friedrich-Wilhelm-Ahnefeld Award 2026 together with the DIVI team. The award recognizes the innovative ANNA course concept, which fills an important gap in emergency medicine training and is now established across Germany.

High recognition for emergency medicine training — with a strong contribution from Hildesheim: the Association of Emergency Physicians of Southwest Germany (AGSWN) has presented the course committee of DIVI (German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine) with the prestigious Friedrich-Wilhelm-Ahnefeld Award 2026. The award recognizes the ANNA course concept (Airway Management and Anesthesia in Emergency and Acute Medicine), which is now established throughout Germany. Among the members of the award-winning development team is Dr. Stephan Düsterwald, Lead Physician at the Simulation and Emergency Medicine Academy (SiNA) at Helios Hospital Hildesheim.

The prestigious award is presented only every two years to outstanding flagship projects and best-practice models in emergency medicine. The project initiators recently accepted the award from AGSWN on behalf of the entire committee — an important milestone for the whole interdisciplinary team, in which Dr. Düsterwald plays a key role.

The innovative concept fills a critical gap in emergency medicine training and is expanding rapidly. Around 200 certified instructors now conduct 15 to 18 courses each year in Germany and Switzerland, including two courses annually in Hildesheim. “I am delighted that our DIVI working group has received the Ahnefeld Award for the ANNA course format,” says Dr. Stephan Düsterwald. “This is a very special recognition of our SiNA team and our many years of commitment in this field. At the same time, it helps strengthen the position of our hospital in Hildesheim as a provider of high-quality training programs beyond the region.”

Hildesheim becomes one of the first centers for ANNA-KIDS

Building on this success, the Simulation and Emergency Medicine Academy in Hildesheim is continuing to pursue its vision. This month, SiNA is launching the brand-new ANNA-KIDS supplementary module for pediatric emergency care. “This is a major achievement for our hospital, as this highly specialized pediatric module is currently offered at only two selected training centers in the entire German-speaking region: in Fürth and here in Hildesheim,” emphasizes Hospital Managing Director Sascha Kucera. “We congratulate Dr. Düsterwald and his working group on this outstanding award and look forward to the upcoming high-level training courses at our SiNA.”

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Award for a pioneering emergency care concept

Hildesheim becomes one of the first centers for ANNA-KIDS

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Do you need more information about Helios Hospitals or want to schedule your treatment?

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Award for a pioneering emergency care concept

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