Irina Gessl

The combination of having both an intellectual job, which includes and requires lifelong learning, as well as a social job, working very closely with people and being able to help them feel better, is what sparked my interest, still makes me thankful and humble, and is why I now cannot imagine doing anything else.

Irina Gessl, MD, works at the Department of Internal Medicine III at the University of Vienna, Austria. In addition to her research activities, Gessl is also involved in teaching within the framework of the Human Medicine program and supervises diploma theses.

She studied Human Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna and later began a PhD program at the Clinical Division of Rheumatology at the same university. Since the end of 2017, she has been undergoing training to become a specialist in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

In her submitted research, she focused on inflammatory joint diseases that are characterized by joint swelling and pain. If untreated, they typically lead to irreversible structural damage. While joint swelling is a clear sign of active disease, the causes of joint pain, especially without existing swelling, can be diverse and may include inflammation, pain memory, or pre-existing damage.

The submitted study aims to help rheumatologists regarding the decision if a patient with an inflammatory joint disease would benefit from intensified immunosuppressive therapy. Especially in patients with many tender joints but no or few swollen joints, sonography as well as radiographs help estimating the risk for subsequent structural damage.

Maintaining a good relationship with her partner, friends and family and actively scheduling quality time with them is essential for her work and motivation. But sometimes, she just needs a long walk-in nature or a cozy evening with a good book on the couch to reenergize.