Bernhard Schwaberger elected President of the AGN

Bernhard Schwaberger has become the first neonatologist to be elected President of the Working Group for Emergency Medicine (AGN), thereby taking on a key role in pre-hospital emergency care in Styria. As a neonatologist and paediatric intensive care specialist, he brings a unique professional perspective to this demanding role. For many years, he has been the only paediatrician working as an emergency doctor at the Graz-Ost emergency medical centre at the University Hospital of Graz. His experience in emergency medicine spans more than two decades in the pre-hospital sector. He began his training in emergency medicine as an NKI emergency physician with the Medizinercorps Graz, which he also headed from 2012 to 2015. His training was particularly influenced by Gerhard Prause, then the district emergency physician for the Red Cross in the city of Graz. He completed his training as an emergency physician alongside his work at the Division of Neonatology at the Medical University of Graz. There, he serves as Deputy Head of Department and Senior Consultant in charge of the neonatal intensive care unit (‘Neonatology 1’) and, last year, took up a tenure-track professorship in imaging techniques and functional diagnostics in neonatology.

Working Group for Emergency Medicine (AGN)

The AGN is an interdisciplinary and interprofessional platform for the promotion of pre-hospital emergency medicine in Styria and Austria. It brings together experts from various disciplines – ranging from pre-hospital care to clinical emergency medicine. The AGN’s aim is to continuously improve the quality of emergency medical care, drive innovation and strengthen professional exchange. In addition to promoting research in emergency medicine, there is a particular focus on education, training and continuing professional development. To this end, the AGN offers a wide range of conferences, symposia, emergency doctor training courses and emergency doctor training in Styria.

Successful AGN Congress 2026 in Graz

A key event for the AGN is the biennial congress, which this year took place under the title notfallmedizin2026 from 9 to 11 April 2026 at Messe Graz. Bernhard Schwaberger organised this high-calibre event together with Gerhard Prause and a dedicated congress team. Around 1,300 participants, 60 international and national speakers, and more than 50 practice-oriented workshops made the congress a great success. The varied programme, the excellent organisation, and the professional yet friendly atmosphere at Messe Graz were particularly highlighted by the participants.
The fifth edition of the AGN and Medizinercorps Graz’s Graz Paediatric Emergency Pocket Card was also presented during the congress. This is the second printed edition of this paediatric dosing guide in a handy pocket format, with a print run of 1,000 copies. It is a sought-after calculation and dosage guide for pre-hospital paediatric emergencies and was developed specifically for the tiered emergency care system in Graz, but is already widely used within the Styrian emergency medical services. The latest edition is available through the AGN and Medizinercorps Alumni.

The election of Bernhard Schwaberger as President of the AGN sends a clear signal regarding the further development of emergency medicine, with a particular focus on paediatric expertise.