Titus Koenig, MD, PhD

Bio

I grew up in the northern part of Germany. I came into Medicine after studying engineering for 2 years in Germany. I felt that I can make a far more important and rewarding impact on society and mankind in the healing arts rather than in engineering. This decision has never disappointed me. I completed my Radiology training at the Unversity of Texas is Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center where I enjoyed working with many outstanding teachers and mentors. I joined the Faculty at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for a short time before doing a Fellowship in Interventional Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After a short time in Private Practice in North Carolina, my wife and I decided to move to Santa Rosa where I joined Kaiser in 2005. We like very much the moderate climate and the countryside which reminds us of Europe. I love my job as a Radiologist. I like the high level of expertise and the integrated approach to medicine at the Kaiser Permanente Group.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

I became attracted to medicine while I was still pursuing training in electrical engineering in Germany. Although technology fascinated me, I wanted to have a more personal and beneficial impact on people than I felt was possible in engineering alone. My interest in Radiology then followed as it is linked to technology more than other medical specialties.
Radiology uses the latest advances in imaging technology (e.g. MRI, CT, ultrasound, interventional radiology) to see inside the human body in order to find the cause of disease and ways to treat it. Radiology is a rapidly evolving field. Today we routinely employ imaging techniques which were just in a developmental stage only a few years ago. This field will see even faster growth in the future. I am proud to be at the forefront of physicians who use these advanced technologies for the benefit and cure of patients.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

Special interests are : Cross-sectional Imaging such as MRI, CT, and ultrasound. Interventional Radiology, which uses minimally invasive techniques (e.g. small catheters or tiny instruments are advanced into the human body under imaging guidance) to make a diagnosis and to treat diseases.

Interests

Currently reading:
Radiology, American Journal of Roentgenology

My favorite book or author:
I like to relax with science fiction, such as Timeline by Michael Crichton.

Great movie:
Oliver Twist (2005)

Family & Friends

People in my life:

Mary, my wife, is an elementary school teacher. She really likes to work with children. Apart from being a teacher, she likes to play the piano and do some gardening.

Travel

Favorite place in the world:

One of my favorite places is, of course, the country where I grew up, Germany. Once a year my wife and I try to visit my relatives in the northern region of Muensterland and the southern cities of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. I still have a lot of childhood memories there. It is a place of deep roots and meaning to me.

One of my recent trips:

In the summer of 2005 my wife, Mary, and I had the opportunity to spend a month in Australia. We visited friends and relatives as well as finding time to go backpacking and see some of the better known attractions. We were really excited at the prospect of seeing kangaroos in the wild! Unfortunately in the first few days all the kangaroos kept well away from us. We thought they must have sensed us coming or, perhaps, it was all the rain that was keeping them away.

Yes, rain! I thought Australia was supposed to be very dry. Indeed, Mary's relatives had asked us to bring some rain with us. Accommodatingly, we did, but rather more than we intended. Our first stop was in Adelaide, which has a lovely combination of European and American influences. We were highly impressed by the Aboriginal Cultures section of the South Australian Museum there. As well as a huge and well presented collection of artifacts, there were many interactive exhibits. Especially good were the oral histories, which covered many topics, including Aboriginal Dreaming stories, traditional methods of spear making, and some of the jobs that today's Aboriginal people have.We visited the Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills. Here we saw a very wide variety of native Australian flora and fauna, and with a bag of specially prepared kangaroo food, we got very close to lots of kangaroos. Many were quite sleepy as the kangaroo, like many Australian animals, is nocturnal. The park rangers were a great source of information and their enthusiasm for the protection and conservation of Australian wildlife and natural habitats was infectious.

We took a coach north to Port Augusta, where we learned about the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Australian Outback at the Wadlata Outback Center. We also tried some bush tucker in the form of quandong cheesecake. It was scrumptious! Mary is vegetarian, so we had a good excuse not to taste honey ants or witchetty grubs! Traveling through the outback gave us an impression of the vastness of the Australian landscape. Although creek beds were dusty dry, the plants are well adapted, and obviously provided enough nutrition for the sheep and emus we saw along the way. Central Australia was warm and sunny in the day, but frosty overnight. It was, of course, winter. Walking around Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) and watching its colors change in the evening were an experience not to be missed. The rock really does change to deep red then purple as the sun sinks below the horizon. Hiking through Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) was also well worth doing.We flew to Cairns then drove up the Queensland coast, camping at the beach, hiking through the Daintree rainforest, and enjoying the wonderful scenery. We were lucky to see the endangered cassowary, Australia's largest bird. A boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef rounded off our holiday beautifully. The vast variety of tropical fish was truly breathtaking.

Australia is a wonderful country with a laid back style of living. There is a great respect among many for the environment and the continent's unique habitats, as well as a great respect for Aboriginal cultures. We feel privileged to have experienced some of Australia, and we hope we will return someday.

Trip Photos:

Uluru at sunset.

Kangaroos in the wild.

Meeting an emu at Cleland Wildlife Park.

Feeding kangaroos at Cleland Wildlife Park.

The Tasmanian Devil's ears go red when it is embarrassed.

Wild kangaroos in South Australia are as plentiful in the evenings as deer are here in some rural parts of Santa Rosa. We saw these and many more in our second week.

Termite hills in the bush.