Diana Schüller, Physician

Background

Medical degree and state examination (RWTH, Germany)

Junior doctor, internal medicine and gastroenterology (Krankenhaus Porz am Rhein, Germany)

Medical writer, oncology (Digitas Germany GmbH, Germany)

What drives me

Have you ever read a medical report and come away with more questions than answers? Or come home after an appointment at the surgery thinking: ‘What exactly did the doctor mean?’

In my work as a doctor, I have experienced this again and again. Patients receive reports full of technical terms – ‘hepatopathy’, ‘inflammation’ or ‘elevated transaminases’ – and very few receive an explanation in plain language of what this means for them. Or they leave the consulting room with a prescription without really understanding why this treatment makes sense. And all because we doctors often speak a language that sounds foreign to outsiders.

Yet understanding is so important, because only those who understand what is happening in their own body can make good decisions about their own health.

Closing this gap between medical jargon and real understanding is what drives me.

My career

My medical journey began in Aachen, where I studied medicine at RWTH Aachen University. While still a student, I had the opportunity to work as a course instructor in emergency medicine and resuscitation – an experience that showed me how valuable it is to pass on knowledge and empower others.

A highlight of my training was my surgical placement at Victoria Hospital in Cape Town. My time in South Africa opened my eyes to how differently healthcare can look around the world and how important it is to work with what you have.

After qualifying as a doctor, I worked in internal medicine and gastroenterology at Krankenhaus Porz am Rhein. But my time in outpatient rehabilitation at AmKaRe Cologne was particularly formative: there I helped people get back to normal life after heart attacks, lung diseases or vascular problems.

I saw that it is not only acute treatment that matters, but also what comes afterwards – recovery, prevention, the small steps.

Body and mind belong together

Alongside my work as a doctor, I am a certified yoga teacher. It is a combination that may surprise some, but for me the two belong together.

During my time in rehabilitation, I realised that Health is more than the absence of disease. When someone finds their way back to normal life after a heart attack, they need not only medication but also tools for dealing with stress. When someone suffers from persistent pain, breathing techniques can help calm the nervous system. And when someone is exhausted, mindful movement can sometimes do more than another cup of coffee.

Science has long confirmed this:
Chronic stress can raise blood pressure, poor sleep weakens the immune system, and conscious breathing activates the part of our nervous system responsible for recovery.

For me, this does not contradict evidence-based medicine. On the contrary: it completes the picture. In the end, it is always about the whole person and not just about blood test results or individual complaints.

Making medicine understandable

Today I work as a medical writer in oncology. Here I combine my clinical experience with my passion for explaining: I translate complex specialist topics into language that anyone can understand – for patients, for their families, for anyone who wants to know more. So instead of ‘immuno-oncological therapy with checkpoint inhibitors’, it becomes something like: ‘A treatment that helps your own immune system recognise and fight cancer cells.’

From patient information and training materials to specialist content – my goal is always the same: to present medical knowledge in a way that doesn't intimidate but helps people move forward. To help people make decisions and not feel lost when it comes to their own health.

My work at Melinava

At Melinava, I can put exactly that into practice: bridging the gap between medical expertise and clear, accessible information. It's not just about products here, but about transparency, about science and, above all, about people who have the right to understand what they are putting into their bodies and why.

I contribute my medical expertise so that you receive well-founded information – and gain knowledge that genuinely helps you.

Health begins with understanding. And understanding begins with someone taking the time to explain it in simple terms.

Warm regards
Diana Schüller, Physician