Prof. Dr. Ulrike Attenberger
Digitalisation and artificial intelligence in healthcare
Artificial Intelligence
The Stethoscope of Today
The greatest innovation in medicine will not be a new drug – but an intelligence that detects disease before we can feel it. In doing so, artificial intelligence not only changes how we treat illness – it changes what we understand by health.
Professor Dr. Ulrike Attenberger is an internationally renowned thought leader and expert in digitalization and artificial intelligence in healthcare.
Since 2024, she has been Professor of Radiology at the Medical University of Vienna, where she has headed the University Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine since 2025.
Her professional focus lies on the digital transformation of healthcare and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into disease diagnosis and prevention. In her lectures, she addresses the application of AI to improve patient care as well as the importance of cybersecurity in handling sensitive health data.
A particular emphasis of her work is on harnessing state-of-the-art technologies to enable healthcare that consistently places people at its center (human-centered healthcare).
Key Focus Areas of Ulrike Attenberger’s Work
AI. HighTech. Human Touch.
Digital innovation in healthcare
Mentorship. Excellence. Growth.
Supporting and developing the physicians of tomorrow
AI. HighTech. Human Touch.
Digital Innovation in Healthcare
For more than ten years, I have been exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization can transform healthcare. Beyond enabling more precise diagnoses and therapies, these technologies open up new opportunities to compensate for the shortage of skilled professionals and to sustainably improve healthcare delivery. The goal of my work is to create concrete examples and practical insights into how innovative technologies can be responsibly integrated into clinical practice—always with the patient in focus.
In pilot projects such as the “Innovative Secure Medical Campus,” which was funded as a KI.NRW flagship project by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Industry, I was able to demonstrate during my time at Bonn University Hospital how digitalization and AI can provide tangible support to physicians and nursing staff in their daily work.
The currently ongoing EU project AI-POD (“AI for the Prediction of Obesity-Related Vascular Diseases,” https://ai-pod.eu) also aims to use AI-based approaches to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease in overweight patients. At the same time, affected individuals are empowered through wearables and smart apps to manage their health as independently as possible.
However, digital transformation is accompanied by uncertainties—for patients and healthcare professionals alike. Data protection, ethics, and the impact on human interaction, which is a central component of the healing process, are therefore key aspects of my work. The human touch remains indispensable, even in the age of technological innovation.
Mentorship. Excellence. Growth.
Supporting the Physicians of Tomorrow
For me, mentoring goes beyond professional training; it also means fostering personalities who can navigate an increasingly digital and complex medical landscape with confidence and reflection.
My approach is shaped by my experience as a long-standing mentor, Director of the DFG Summer School “AI in Radiology.” Excellence emerges through exchange, the promotion of individual potential, and the courage to explore new paths.
Supporting early-career physicians is crucial to preparing future doctors for digital transformation and the use of AI. Practice-oriented training, interdisciplinary exchange, and hands-on projects also sharpen awareness of ethical, societal, and patient-centered aspects—key building blocks for shaping the medicine of tomorrow in a sustainable way.
Lectures and Public Appearances
Making Artificial Intelligence Tangible
Professor Dr. Ulrike Attenberger is a keynote speaker on digital health and artificial intelligence in healthcare.
Key focus areas of her talks include:
Human Centered Healthcare
She discusses emerging technologies such as AI, augmented reality, and robotics, and their future role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. She illustrates how AI can contribute to early detection, individualized therapy optimization (precision medicine), and disease prevention.
Healthcare Reimagined
Her presentations focus on the role of AI and digital health in shaping the healthcare system of tomorrow. Central themes include the impact of AI on the healthcare workforce, the importance of data diversity for training AI models, and ways to maintain access to care in light of current healthcare challenges through the use of AI. Ethical considerations and data security are always core elements of this discussion.
Human Touch in Healthcare
She highlights the opportunities and risks that digital health and AI present for the interpersonal relationship between healthcare professionals and patients. At the center is the role of AI in supporting the salutogenic effect of human-to-human interaction.
Selected Talks & Appearances 2024–2025
- Handelsblatt Webinar
“AI in Hospitals: Between Cure-All and Counterproductive Fix – How Much Value Does the Hype Add to Everyday Patient Care?” - Telekom AG, Digital X, Cologne Keynote, Impact Stage – Digital Health & AI
- Digital Days Vienna, FORESIGHT Special, Keynote:“AI on the Path to Medicine”
- Targion Award Ceremony, Frankfurt am Main, Keynote: “From the Art of Medicine to Artificial Intelligence”
- Annual Summit Temedica – Temedica Future of Health Insights, Keynote, Munich
- Digital & Artificial Intelligence, ProS Siemens, Copenhagen
- Zone Management Meeting CEECA, Siemens Healthineers
Keynote:“The Future of Radiology in Europe” - Lecture AI Health Austria 2Vienna
- University Lectures Medical University Vienna: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine “Artificial Intelligence and Human Medicine – The Perfect Symbiosis or an Irreconcilable Contradiction?”
Companies
- Siemens Healthineers
- Dt. Telekom AG
- Handelsblatt
- Temedica
- Valantic Management Consulting GmbH
- Springer Verlag
Panels & Discussions
- Healthcare Industry Congress, Hamburg, September 17, 2025
- Handelsblatt Annual Health Conference 2024, Berlin
Panel Discussion:“Between Lighthouses and Funding Graveyards …” - Future Health Day 2024 – The Power of Data & AI, Deutsche Telekom AG, Berlin
Panel Discussion - 22nd Vienna Congress, January 27, 2025
Panel Discussion:“AI” - Impact Days 2025, Vienna City Hall
Panel Discussion with Prof. Siegfried Meryn - dHealth 2025, May 6, 2025
Session:“AI in Austria”
Featured in Media
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- OE24.TV, Hightech im OP: Ersetzt die KI den Arzt? | Health Talk mit Isabelle Daniel
- ORF S2, Studiogespräch: „Künstliche Intelligenz in der Medizin“
- Kronen Zeitung, Februar 2025: Thema Frau in der Wissenschaft
- JATROS Kardiologie & Gefäßmedizin (UNIVERSIMED Cross Media Content GmbH), 24.02.2025: KI in der Kardiologie – darauf achten, nicht den Anschluss zu verlieren
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Handelsblatt, 24.7.2025: „Man darf KI nach wie vor differenziert betrachten“
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Süddeutsche Zeitung, 26.09.2025: Thema KI im Gesundheitswesen
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Kurier Wien – Wills wissen, September 2025: Digital Health: „KI ist das Stethoskop von morgen“
About Ulrike Attenberger
Ulrike Attenberger grew up in Germany (Freising, Eichstaett) and studied medicine at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich after completing her secondary education.
In 2006, she earned her doctorate with a dissertation entitled “The Role of MRI in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension.” Five years later, she completed her habilitation in radiology at the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University.
Following research stays in Zurich, Vienna, Texas, and at Harvard University, she was appointed W3 Professor at the University of Bonn in September 2019. Until May 2024, she served there as Professor and Chair of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at Bonn University Hospital.
Since July 2024, she has been Professor of Radiology at the Medical University of Vienna and, since January 2025, has headed the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Vienna General Hospital (University Hospital AKH, Vienna).
Ulrike Attenberger is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer). Between 2023 and 2025, she served as lead coordinator of the official position paper on “Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.”
More about Ulrike Attenberger on Wikipedia
Testimonials
Andre Hartung
President of Diagnostic Imaging at Siemens Healthineers
Ulrike brings a rare blend of deep medical insight and sharp business acumen, paired with a clear and honest communication style. She makes complex topics like Digitalization and Healthcare AI accessible, highlighting both system strengths and areas for improvement. Her vast knowledge of global digital landscapes—within radiology and beyond—makes her a go-to expert for all things digital, both in daily practice and on stage. I always learn something valuable when I hear her speak.
Prof. Dr. Joachim Nagel
President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, Member of the ECB Governing Council
Professor Dr. Ulrike Attenberger delivered a lecture on artificial intelligence in medicine during one of our retreats. She presented the topic in an exceptionally informative and inspiring way. We all felt the passion and conviction with which Professor Attenberger is dedicated to this subject.
Prof. Siegfried Meryn
Physician & Founder of the Future Health Lab / CAPE 10
I have known Professor Dr. Ulrike Attenberger for many years. Her ability to apply state-of-the-art AI methods while critically reflecting on their ethical implications makes her one of the most influential voices in Europe in the field of digital medicine. Every discussion we share broadens perspectives and inspires further thinking.
Dirk Backofen
Head of Digital Identities, Deutsche TelekomImplementation Partner of Bonn University Hospital for the ISMC Project
Professor Dr. Ulrike Attenberger delivered a compelling keynote on the digital transformation of healthcare on the main stage of Digital X in Cologne on September 18, 2024, in front of an audience of approximately 5,000 participants.
Professor Dr. Attenberger’s inspiring keynote was a true highlight of our Digital X event for all attendees—making medical and IT expertise tangible for everyone.
It encouraged reflection and imitation—not only within healthcare. The digital transformation of the patient journey through AI and robotics serves as a blueprint for many other urgently needed digitalization projects in Germany and across Europe.
In her presentation, she vividly illustrated both the challenges and the new opportunities of digitalizing the patient journey through robotics and artificial intelligence, using the AI flagship project “Innovative Secure Medical Campus – Bonn University Hospital (ISMC)” as a concrete example.
Drawing on profound medical and IT expertise, combined with a highly engaging and charismatic presentation style, Professor Attenberger demonstrated the successful path toward digital transformation in healthcare—substantiated by valuable real-world experience. Embedded videos helped the audience grasp and better understand the complexity of the topic, making it tangible and accessible.