The Board

Dr Andreas Ganz, MD

Chair

Medical specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy, head physician at the Prinzregent Luitpold hospital in Bad Reichenhall. Member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2015, executive board member since 2018, since 2022 chair.

Dr Corina Gericke, DVM

Vice-chairwoman and scientific officer

Veterinary doctor from Braunschweig. Active anti-vivisectionist since 1984. Co-founder and long-standing board member of SATIS. From 1995 to 1998 worked as a veterinary doctor in the UK. Since 2000 scientific officer, since 2011 executive board member, and since 2015 vice-chairwoman of Doctors Against Animal Experiments.

Dr Katharina Feuerlein, MD

Executive board member

Retired physician from Hamburg. From 1980 to 2002 headed a private country doctor's office in Bexhövede near Bremerhaven, focused on nutrition, child care, maternity counseling and school survey. From 2002 to 2013 lecturer at a vocational school for ergo- and physiotherapy. Executive board member since 2018.

Dr Rosmarie Lautenbacher, MD

Executive board member

Medical specialist in anesthesiology and emergency medicine; psychoanalyst from Augsburg. Active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2011. Executive board member since 2022.

Dr Eva Katharina Kühner, MD

Executive board member

Medical specialist in occupational medicine in Zwickau. M.Sc. in environmental and resource management. Active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2014. Executive board member since 2022.

Dr Marion Balscheit, MD

Member of the extended board

Medical specialist in anesthesiology and intensive therapy in Wismar. Since 2008 active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments. Animal welfare teacher since 2015. Member of the extended board since 2022.

Dr Christina Gerlach-Schweitzer, MD

Member of the extended board

Specialist in General Medicine. Commitment against animal experiments for more than 25 years. Since 2011 member of Doctors Against Animal Wxperiments. Member of the extended board since 2022.

Dr Maleen Schaumburg, DMD

Member of the extended board

Vetrinarian from Friedberg. Active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2016. Member of the extended board since 2022.

Claus Kronaus

Chief Executive Officer

Electronic data processing graduate and businessman from Cologne. Worked as a software developer, controller, head of sales department and work-council chairman for large insurance companies for almost three decades. Since 2012 volunteer at Doctors Against Animal Experiments as a working groups supervisor and public relations officer. Since 2015 managing director (CEO).

Astrid Beckmann

Member support and contact person for donors and sponsors

Volunteer at Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2014. Has worked as an editor for various newspapers and magazines for almost 25 years. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2020.

Michèle Dressel

Media and campaign officer

Responsible for concepting, conducting and controlling of campaigns. Previously longstanding commitment for animal rights. Volunteer at Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2020 and part of the team since 2022.

Stephanie Elsner

Editor and PR officer

Active antivivisectionist since 1989. Many years of work as press officer and specialist for humane pigeon birth control at the Federal Association of People for Animal Rights (Menschen für Tierrechte e. V.). Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2014.

Dr Dilyana Filipova, PhD

Scientific officer

Molecular biology graduate and Ph.D. in genetics. Volunteer at the Young Researchers working group at Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2018. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2019.

Nadine Kellner

Supervisor for local groups and creative team 

Active supervision of the working groups. Long-standing previous commitment for animal rights and active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2014. Professional experience as a certified social worker and freelance journalist. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2018.

Nina Lummertzheim

Social Media Coordinator

Responsible for developing and graphically implementing concepts for Social Media communication. Prior work experience in advertising. Part-time illustrator for animal rights topics. Holds a degree in communication design. With Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2022.

Dr Gaby Neumann, DVM

Press and scientific officer

Worked as a veterinary doctor, mainly focused on physiotherapy and osteopathy, in Aachen from 2002 to 2017. Since 2003 lecturer for physiotherapy at a training facility for veterinarians and veterinary nurses. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2017.

Eva Nimtschek

Officer for film and graphics

Design and implementation of ideas in the areas of film, photography and graphics. Professional photographer in the field of animal and advertising photography for 20 years. Active for Doctors Against Animal testing since 2014.

Julia Preller

IT manager and administrative officer

Responsible for IT and administrative processes. Psychology graduate (B.Sc.). Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2018.

Julia Radzwill

Scientific officer

Biology graduate, performed her thesis at the Center for Biochemistry of the Medical Faculty at the University of Cologne in 2009. Several years of sales activity in various companies. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2019.

Roland Sasse

Treasurer and chief administrative officer (CAO)

Supervises the administrative processes, ordering and accounting. 23 years of previous experience as a CEO of a private company for assembly and sales of advertising technology. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2015.

Dr Melanie Seiler

Politics and Law, Management Staff Unit

PhD in biology with a focus on primatology and behavioural research. For her doctoral thesis, she researched a species of lemur in Madagascar before going on to study non-verbal communication in humans and other primates as a post-doc. After working for almost 6 years as CEO of an animal and nature protection association, she joined the DAAE team in 2023.

Nicole Spitzer

Member support and management of Youth Project

Administrative officer, responsible for member support and coordination of the Youth Project. Long-standing commitment to animal rights, as an agricultural engineer, especially against the exploitation of animals in agriculture. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2016.

Silke Strittmatter*

Politics & Law

Biology graduate from Freiburg. Worked as a specialist for animal experiments and alternative methods at different NGO's. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments as research officer since 2009, and until 2017 also as press officer. 

*née Bitz (many of her contributions can be found under this name)

Dr Johanna Walter, PhD

Scientific officer

After studying chemistry from 2009 to 2019, she worked as a research group leader at the Leibniz University in Hannover in the fields of biotechnology and life sciences. The aim of the work was to replace antibodies with animal-free synthetic alternatives. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2022.

Robert Wulff

Controlling & IT-administration

Employee at the branch office. Responsible for gathering, representing, and interpretating important figures concerning the association. Contact person for IT-administration and web-related topics. With Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2022.

Dr Tamara Zietek, PhD

Chief scientific officer

Biochemistry graduate, worked as a research group leader and lecturer at the Technical University of Munich from 2010 to 2018. Headed projects aiming to establish human intestinal organoids as an animal-free model for nutritional research and biomedicine. Works for Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2018.

Mika Casper

Working student

Working student while studying law. Active in the legal department of Doctors Against Animal Experiments.

Dr Eva Kristian Bee, MD

Active member

Medical specialist in dermatology, venereology and allergology, working in her private medical office in Drensteinfurth. Executive board member from 2013 to 2022.

Dr Hildrud Boeger-Plumanns, Doctor of Dentistry

Active member

Dentist from Düsseldorf. Active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2015.

Dr Lucie Braun, MD

Active member

Medical specialist in general medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy. Runs a private medical office for psychiatry and psychotherapy in Tübingen. Since 2002 member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments and from 2012 to 2018 chairwoman.

Dr Wolf-Dieter Hirsch, MD

Active member

Medical specialist in general surgery, visceral surgery, orthopedics and trauma surgery, emergency medicine. Senior emergency physician; worked as chief physician until reaching retirement age, afterwards continued working in the surgical department of the Grimma Hospital. Member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 1999, vice-chairman from 2007 to 2011, member of the extended board from 2019 to 2022.

Dr Martina Kuhtz-Böhnke, DVM

Active member

Veterinary doctor in Dorfen near Munich. Active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2000, especially in the area of the Youth Project.

Dr Ines Lenk, MD

Active member

Medical specialist in gynecology, obstetrics and emergency medicine. Runs a private medical office near Leipzig. Active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2014.

Dr Bernhard Rambeck, PhD

Honory member

Graduate in chemistry / biochemistry. Retired head of a research department for clinical pharmacology of epilepsy drugs of a north German epilepsy center. Member of the executive board of Doctors Against Animal Experiments from the mid-1980s to 2013. Author of the books "Animal experimentation: the myth" and "Animal experiments must be abolished".

Dr Rolf Simon, MD

Active member

Medical specialist in orthopedics and chief emergency medicine doctor from Heidelberg. Member since 1996, active member of Doctors Against Animal Experiments since 2012.