Physicians at Thieme

Siegfried Steindl, MD, Senior Vice President Medicine

Siegfried Steindl

"As physician at Thieme...

I contribute with my knowledge to making the daily work of physicians easier and giving them more freedom to work with patients." 

Siegfried Steindl, MD - networker and strategist

Even during his medical studies, Siegfried Steindl knew that he was passionate about working with people. He loves working in a team and convincing people. He likes to think and act economically and has a "passionate developer gene," as he calls it himself. That's why he followed up his medical studies with a degree in business administration and worked in a pharmaceutical company at the same time. In 2005, he joined Thieme as program area manager. In 2005, he joined Thieme as head of the medical publishing division and now works with his team to develop customized products and solutions for medical students and physicians. Intensive contact with customers, authors, publishers and medical societies forms the basis of his work. We asked Dr. Steindl why he works as a physician at Thieme.

Dr. Steindl, you studied medicine. What was your career goal at the beginning of your studies?

Siefried Steindl, MD: At the beginning, I frankly didn't think much about my future career goal. When I did my civilian service with the Red Cross, I found that I knew too little about health and illness. That's why I started to study medicine in parallel in Vienna and later in Graz. At first I thought that I would quit anyway after the "Knochenkolloquium", which was common at Austrian universities at that time. The so-called "Kno-Ko" was a cruciate test in which you had to name all the bones and ligaments of the body and explain their function. The test went well, learning the structures was fun, and I continued my studies.

Medicine is a fascinating subject, which is why I chose to study it. But at the end of the study, I realized two things: I like working in a team. In the hospital, however, the collaboration was not what I had imagined. I also realized that I am a numbers person who likes to sell. That was the deciding factor for me to consciously choose a different path in order to be able to contribute my interests and skills in the best possible way. However, it was always clear to me that this alternative path should have something to do with medicine. I therefore began a second course of study to obtain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in pharmaceutical management, and at the same time worked for a pharmaceutical company as a product manager.

How did you come to Thieme?

Steindl: I was approached in August 2005. I probably wouldn't have thought of working in a publishing house on my own, given my previous knowledge. With my studies and my talents, I fit in very well with a medical publishing house - but I wasn't aware of that beforehand.

I was hired as a program area manager for the specialties of radiology, pediatrics, ENT and dentistry. I took care of the management of "my" subjects and the program structure and orientation. To do this, I gathered customer feedback to find out first-hand what physicians think of our offerings, what they appreciate about them, but also what they would like to see. Based on this, I worked with my team to improve existing products and, of course, develop new ideas.

What made you decide to switch to Thieme back then?

Steindl: The tasks I was asked to take on were and are simply exciting: As a division manager, it was my job to develop the products and services for "my" subjects in such a way that physicians can use them to do their work even better. But it is equally important to take a look at the entire program area, regardless of the individual project and product. You have to take the time to think about which products and services physicians will need in the future, for example in three to five years. That was a very exciting task for me - I've always liked thinking about new things and developing innovations.

I also liked the people I met at Thieme. Even my application phase was very pleasant, because I was able to get to know a lot of colleagues at that time and realized that the interaction with each other and the way of working together here suited me very well.

I'm a networking type by nature. I like to approach people, make contacts and work out many things through dialog. As head of department, one of my tasks was to build up a professional network, both internally and externally, and to maintain contacts with colleagues in the building, with authors, editors, societies and associations. That suited me very well.

What professional stages have you passed through at Thieme since then?

Steindl: The first big milestone for me was the so-called e-business project. I've always had a soft spot for "technical madness" and electronic products. The aim was to develop ideas for digital knowledge offerings that directly support physicians in patient care. This project gave rise to, among other things, the idea for the RadBase radiology image database, which was then implemented in my publishing division. In the course of this project, I met many exciting people and sensed a great spirit of optimism in the company. This convinced me once again that Thieme was the right place for me.

In 2009, I then took on responsibility for another publishing area and from then on was also responsible for the subjects of surgery, orthopedics and trauma surgery.

Since April 2016, I have been responsible for the further development of all offerings for physicians and medical students as Head of Medical Publishing.

What is particularly important to you as publishing director?

Steindl: My most important and all-important task as publishing director is to be a sparring partner for my employees so that, together with them, I can make the company a strong digital player. We are actively shaping the digital transformation that we are also experiencing in medicine and healthcare - with content and solutions that we develop from existing products or from completely new ideas.

For me, it is important not to lose sight of the individual. I want to recognize who has special talents and help him/her develop them so that they benefit the company. To do this, as a publishing manager, I create processes and projects in the best case scenario in which these special skills can be used and optimized in a targeted manner.

However, strategic work is also central to me, both on a large and small scale: together with the management and the other publishing house and division managers, I think about how we want to develop as a company and what we want to achieve as the Thieme Group. But I am also concerned, together with my team, with the positioning of each individual product.

What do you particularly like about your work at Thieme?

Steindl: Our products! We are top in the medical information category. I believe strongly in what we do and stand fully behind each and every book, journal, database and online portal.

I enjoy thinking about which product, which solution makes sense for different target groups. I enjoy exchanging ideas with physicians, nurses, therapists and hospital managers: What do you need? What simplifies your day-to-day work? Digitalization helps us enormously in this context. Today, we have many more opportunities to provide information and solutions in such a way that they directly facilitate the work of physicians and other players in the healthcare system.

Furthermore, it is extremely exciting for me to be able to work with the best of the best in the medical industry. My professional network brings together the smartest and most innovative medical professionals in the German-speaking world. The fact that I get to meet them and work with them is great and a privilege!

Internally, too, the intensive exchange with colleagues is my daily highlight. There are many interesting and smart people working at Thieme. Talking to them motivates me and makes me proud to be part of this team.

What makes Thieme special for you?

Steindl: From my time as a product manager in the pharmaceutical industry, I was used to having to wait many hours until a physician had time to talk to me. When I came to Thieme, I quickly realized that Thieme opens doors. Suddenly I didn't have to wait anymore because the physicians wanted to work with us. Working for such a company is really fun!

Moreover, as a family business, Thieme functions in a very special way. The focus is on the long-term success of the company. This is based on very high ethical and human values. In my opinion, the way employees are treated here is also different from the way they are treated in some impersonal corporations, for example: Right from the start, I had the feeling that people had confidence in me and in what I was doing. I can speak my mind openly and honestly. That is encouraged and allowed.

Do you miss the clinic or the patients?

Steindl: A very clear no. I have a basic interest in all topics related to medicine and health, but I can live that out at Thieme just as I can as a practicing physician. For me, the attraction of studying was always the empathy, the encounter with people. I have these contacts here as well. I enjoy contributing my medical expertise and, together with the best people, turning ideas into print products and software solutions with user value.

The interview was conducted by Bettina Ziegler

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