Ralph Schmid is Professor of Surgery and Director of the Division of General Thoracic Surgery at University Hospital Berne, Switzerland. He graduated from the University of Zurich Medical School in 1987 and completed his residency at the University Hospital Zurich, Division of Surgery. Ralph’s clinical and research interests are in thoracic surgical oncology, malignant pleural mesothelioma, thoracic trauma, molecular oncology of thoracic malignancies, gene therapy and transplantation immunology/ lung transplantation.