“When diversity wins, we all win”
Magdeburg University Hospital invites you to celebrate National Diversity Day with an information booth, a quiz, and a workshop.
Magdeburg University Hospital is participating in National Diversity Day under the motto “When diversity wins, we all win.” On May 19, 2026, interested individuals are invited to the Magdeburg University Medical Center campus from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to discuss diversity in academic studies, research, and daily work life. The focus is on how different life realities and experiences shape our shared work and study environments and how respectful coexistence can be achieved in everyday life.
What: Diversity Day at Magdeburg University Medical Center
When: Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Forecourt of the cafeteria (Building 41) + workshop in Building 64 (DZNE conference room), Magdeburg University Medical Center campus, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg
From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., an information booth at the cafeteria invites visitors to engage in conversation. There, visitors can participate in a diversity quiz and learn in a playful way how different life paths, opportunities, and challenges can be and how they shape our professional interactions.
“Many people experience differences in everyday life without consciously reflecting on them. Our goal is to initiate precisely this shift in perspective and to start a conversation,” explains Dr. Anna Orlikowski, Officer for Equality, Diversity, and Young Talent Development at the Medical Faculty of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.
A central element of the day is a workshop from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the “Privilege Walk” format in Conference Room House 64 (DZNE). During this workshop, participants are assigned new identities and move forward or backward in the room depending on their life circumstances—for example, based on whether they have access to quality education, financial security, or have experienced discrimination. The format makes differences in opportunities and life realities visible without judging them. The goal is to better understand one’s own privileges or obstacles and to reflect on how they can influence educational and career paths. Participation is voluntary. Prior registration is requested.
Diversity at UMMD
More than 6,700 employees from over 50 countries work at Magdeburg University Medical Center. They bring diverse cultural backgrounds, age groups, educational paths, family structures, languages, and personal experiences to the table. This diversity is part of daily work in clinical care, research, teaching, and administration.
“For us, diversity is not an abstract concept, but is evident every day in our lecture halls, laboratories, on the wards, and in our administration. When we recognize and value these differences, everyone benefits—in learning, in collaboration, and in research for and in the care of patients,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Daniela Dieterich, Dean of the Magdeburg Faculty of Medicine.
The Medical Director at Magdeburg University Hospital (A.ö.R.), Prof. Dr. Hans-Jochen Heinze, emphasizes: “Everyday hospital life shows how much diversity in action strengthens us. Different experiences and perspectives in multiprofessional teams lead to more nuanced decisions—and to care that benefits all patients.”
In recent years, Magdeburg University Medical Center has established various structures to institutionally embed diversity and thereby strengthen it in the long term: In 2023, UMMD signed the “Diversity Charter,” thereby committing to a discrimination-free work environment. In addition, a Vice-Dean’s Office for Young Talent Development and Equal Opportunity was established at the Faculty of Medicine. With the Endowed Chair for Gender-Sensitive Medicine—the first in Germany with full clinical affiliation—differences between women and men in medicine are also to be systematically taken into account in research, teaching, and patient care.
The action day is being organized with the support of the Office for Equality, Diversity, and Young Talent Development, the International Office, the Clinical Ethics Committee, the Integration Management, the Medical Student Council, and the Medical Students for Choice Magdeburg Group.
Contact:
Dr. Anna Orlikowski, Coordinator for Equality, Diversity, and Young Talent Development at the Faculty of Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Tel. 0391/67-25558, med4science@med.ovgu.de