Dr Karin Leonhäuser - A life for medicine
Born on 19 May 1967 in Fulda and raised in tranquil Oberrode, a small town with just 500 inhabitants, Dr Karin Leonhäuser developed a clear vision for her life at an early age: At the age of just four, she decided to become a doctor - a decision that would accompany her throughout her life with passion and determination.
After graduating from high school in 1986, she completed a voluntary social year in Hephata before gaining her first international experience: In Springfield, Illinois, she interned as a "premed student" at St John's Hospital, where she gained insights into pathology as well as visceral and cardiac surgery. In the winter semester of 1988/89, she began her medical studies in Marburg, which she enriched with numerous clinical placements - including six months in Pondicherry, India, where she worked in a Medical Healthcare Centre, a leprosy clinic and an ENT clinic.
Further stations took her to Russia (paediatric surgery in Yaroslavl), Austria (visceral surgery at the Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital in Vienna) and back to Fulda (internal medicine at the Herz Jesu Hospital and several clinical traineeships with Prof. Draf at the ENT Clinic). She financed her practical training by working nights at the paediatric clinic in Marburg and the ENT clinic in Fulda.
Promotion
She successfully completed her doctorate under Prof Draf in Fulda in 1996. After passing her state examination in Kassel in 1994, she worked in the trauma surgery department at Kassel Hospital and in general surgery at the Red Cross Hospital in Kassel - at that time still as an AIP.
Specialist training
In 1997, she began her specialist training at the ENT clinic in Kassel, where she was promoted to senior consultant after passing her exams. In November 2002, she became the mother of a daughter - a new phase in her life, which she mastered with just as much dedication as her professional challenges.
Professional development
On 1 February 2004, she ventured into self-employment with her own practice and beds at the Red Cross Hospital in Kassel, where she has worked closely with Prof. Noah ever since. After more than two decades of successful work, she gave up her self-employment on 30 June 2025.
Since 1 November 2024, Dr Leonhäuser has been working as a prison doctor at Kassel Prison's central hospital - a challenging position in which she is responsible for all medical areas and continues to contribute her expertise in the ENT consultation.
The collaboration with Prof Noah will continue.
Hobbies - Privately committed, close to nature and full of energy
Dr Karin Leonhäuser is also passionate and energetic outside of medicine. As an enthusiastic opera lover, she finds creative fulfilment both in the auditorium and actively on stage as an extra. The combination of music, expression and community is a valuable addition to her everyday medical life.
Her heart also beats for the forest: as a forest farmer certified and recognised by Hessen Forst, she is dedicated to sustainable forest management. Her favourite activity? Working with a chainsaw - whether sawing firewood or doing smaller felling jobs, this is where she finds balance and grounding.
She is also a member of the church council and is actively involved in community life. And when it comes to travelling through the countryside on two wheels, she enjoys the freedom and dynamism of motorcycling - another example of her versatility and zest for life.
