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Dr. Kamacay Cira is a young Surgical Resident and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Surgery, TUM University Hospital, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich. Dr. Cira currently holds the prestigious Walter Benjamin Postdoctoral Fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG). Her clinical focus is centered on colorectal surgery, particularly in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as septic surgery.
Dr. Cira completed her medical studies with exceptional results, receiving the Badge of Honor from the Faculty of Medicine for academic excellence. She was also awarded the prestigious Scholarship for the Highly Gifted from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation during her medical studies. Upon completing her medical training, she began her research career as a Research Associate funded by the Bavarian Research Foundation, where she examined the impact of adhesive biomaterials on healing and leakage in intestinal anastomoses.
Her doctoral thesis, titled "The Effect of Coating of Intestinal Anastomoses with Adhesive Biomaterials on Reducing Postoperative Anastomotic Leakage and its Sequelae: Development of an Innovative Ex-Vivo Model for Evaluation of Stability and Pressure Resistance of Gastrointestinal Anastomoses," earned the highest academic honor summa cum laude at the Technical University of Munich. Her work demonstrated that the mesentery represents a critical weak point in anastomoses, significantly contributing to the field of intestinal surgery.
Dr. Cira developed the project "Perioperative Gut Microbiome Modulation to Prevent Infection-Related Postoperative Complications Following Bowel Surgery for Inflammatory Bowel Disease" in collaboration with Prof. John Alverdy at the University of Chicago. This project secured her the prestigious Walter Benjamin Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 2025, Dr. Cira will commence a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Prof. Alverdy's laboratory at the University of Chicago, where she will continue her research on anastomotic healing and perioperative microbiome modulation.
From 2022 to 2023, Dr. Cira gained extensive clinical experience in the kidney transplantation, colorectal, and pancreatic surgery units, and spent a year working under Prof. Helmut Friess, Head of the Department of Surgery of the TUM University Hospital. TUM. Since 2024, she has been funded again as a postdoctoral fellow by the Bavarian Research Foundation for the K²RANICH project, where her team is developing a collagen-based bio-glue and sponge to reduce postoperative anastomotic leakage. This innovative material, embedded with antibiotics targeting collagenase-producing bacteria, is currently undergoing preclinical evaluation in murine and porcine models.
Despite her young age, Dr. Cira has already authored nine scientific papers, including four peer-reviewed publications, with an h-index of 2 and 12 citations. Specializing in colorectal and IBD surgery, she collaborates with Dr. Philipp-Alexander Neumann to advance therapeutic approaches for patients with colorectal disease and related complications.