Prof. Dr. med. Jens Hohlfeld is a pulmonologist and allergist who trained at Hannover Medical School. After spending a decade at university clinics, he devoted himself to clinical research and established the Clinical Research Unit of the Fraunhofer Institute in Hannover. Following 10 years as the head of the Clinical Airway Research Department, he was appointed director of the Airway Research Division in 2011. Dr. Hohlfeld was also awarded a full academic professorship in airway research and aerosol medicine in 2005. He has made many contributions to basic and clinical research on the pathogenesis and treatment of airway diseases. In particular, he has spent a number of years studying the role of pulmonary surfactant in innate and adaptive immunity.