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German-Chinese Society for Health Care Management

About us

We connect the German and Chinese health care systems.

Through a range of projects and initiatives, we promote professional exchange and develop concrete partnerships between Germany and China in the fields of hospital management, healthcare provision, digitalisation and innovation, research, as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine and integrative care.

founded in Berlin
2019
TCM conferences
5
Hospital Days
2
delegation trips
3
speakers and guests
53+

DCG-Health

What we do

The German-Chinese Society for Health Care Management (DCG-Health GmbH) connects stakeholders from hospital management, medicine, nursing, and the healthcare industry to promote exchange between the German and Chinese healthcare systems. It organizes and coordinates delegation visits, expert conferences, and cooperation projects in the fields of health and hospital management, as well as cross-border innovation initiatives.

Two key formats of this work are:

  • the Sino-German Conference on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), jointly organized by DCG-Health and the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, and
  • the Sino-German Hospital Day, hosted by DCG-Health in cooperation with the Society of the German Hospital Day (Gesellschaft Deutscher Krankenhaustag mbH), the German-Chinese Business Association (DCW), and the German Hospital Federation (DKG) as part of the German Hospital Day at the MEDICA trade fair in Düsseldorf.
German-Chinese Conference on Traditional Chinese Medicine Next edition: 20 November 2026 · Essen International German-Chinese Hospital Day Next edition: 19 November 2026 · Düsseldorf Delegation trips Study and delegation trips to China and visiting programmes for Chinese delegations in Germany – with hospital visits, conferences and personal exchange.

Team

The founders

Michael Draheim

Michael Draheim

Founder · Managing Director

After training as a nurse at the Diakoniekrankenhaus, Michael Draheim studied at Fulda University of Applied Sciences (Bachelor of Science in Nursing Management) and at the University of Greifswald (M.Sc. in Health Care Management). Since 2015, he has worked in the field of hospital financing and planning. His work focuses on the financing of inpatient hospital services (DRG), budget and reimbursement negotiations, and crisis and quality management. Since 2018, he has been involved in various projects in the Chinese healthcare system on hospital financing and management, and he advises a range of stakeholders in the Chinese healthcare system.

Background

Alongside these activities, Mr Draheim lectures in health policy at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and is pursuing a doctorate at the University of Greifswald on crisis management in hospitals. He is also a founding member of an initiative for networking among up-and-coming leaders in healthcare (netzwerkertreffen.de).

Dr. Lukas Illini

Dr. Lukas Illini

Founder · Managing Director

Lukas Illini holds a Diplom degree in social economics (Diplom-Sozialwirt) and studied Health Care Management (M.Sc.). For more than ten years, Mr Illini has held a range of positions in inpatient and outpatient healthcare.

Background

He focused his work on controlling at various hospitals, took on management responsibilities and, after many years of practical experience, moved into consulting for healthcare providers. In this capacity, alongside various national projects, he gained experience in the Chinese healthcare market. He has supported various projects in cooperation with Chinese hospitals and is a co-founder of DCG-Health GmbH. Here, the focus is on international knowledge exchange between healthcare stakeholders in both countries and on implementing hospital management instruments from the German system in Chinese hospitals.

Mr Illini is co-founder and organiser of the ‘Netzwerkertreffen’ (networking meetings) and is pursuing a doctorate at the University of Greifswald on the efficient management of hospitals with regard to multidimensional target systems.

Team

The team

  • Tatjana Dunkel

    Tatjana Dunkel

    Research Associate, Chair of Gender-Sensitive Medicine, Universitätsmedizin Magdeburg

    Tatjana Dunkel completed her Master’s degree in Social and Health Management (M.A.) at Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences.

    Background

    Tatjana Dunkel completed her Master's degree in Social and Health Management (M.A.) at Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences. During her studies, she developed extensive expertise in research, international relations and health systems in her role as a research associate. In addition, while working as a working student for the global medical technology company HARTMANN, she gained insights into health policy and a thorough understanding of the challenges facing the healthcare sector.

    Through her involvement in various projects and collaborations, she gained valuable experience in working with a wide range of stakeholders, as well as insights into healthcare planning. Since completing her studies, she has been bringing together her interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of hospital financing.

  • Signe Schönborn

    Signe Schönborn

    Researcher, University of Bayreuth

    Signe Schönborn initially studied Health Care Management and subsequently completed a Master of Science in Health Economics. Since 2017, she has been working as a researcher at the University of Bayreuth.

    Background

    Signe Schönborn first studied Healthcare Management and subsequently completed a Master of Science in Health Economics. She has been working as a researcher at the University of Bayreuth since 2017. There, among other things, she has carried out two research projects in the PR China funded by the Federal Ministry of Health. Owing to several research stays in the PR China, she has particular expertise in Chinese outpatient and inpatient healthcare.

    Ms Schönborn is pursuing a doctorate at the University of Bayreuth on the implementation of a DRG system in the PR China.

  • Deniz Duygu Dolu

    Deniz Duygu Dolu

    Event Management and Project Coordination, DCG-Health GmbH

    Deniz Duygu Dolu studied Health Information Management (B.Sc.) at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences.

    Background

    Deniz Duygu Dolu studied Healthcare Information Management (B.Sc.) at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences. After gaining initial practical experience advising German hospitals, she moved into consultancy for Chinese hospitals. She works as an event manager and serves as a coordinator in project support. In this capacity, she has been responsible for the TCM Congress since its inception.

  • Juntao Ye

    Juntao Ye

    Translation and Interpreting, DCG-Health GmbH

    Juntao Ye lives in Berlin and is a native Chinese speaker. He supports the projects of DCG-Health GmbH with his linguistic and cultural expertise and is responsible for translating documents and interpreting in international collaborations.

    Background

    Juntao Ye lives in Berlin and is a native speaker of Chinese. He supports the projects of DCG-Health GmbH with his linguistic and cultural expertise and is responsible for translating documents and interpreting in the context of international cooperation. His focus is on efficient communication between different cultures and on promoting intercultural exchange.

2019 – 2026

Our story

How it all began

We, Michael Draheim and Lukas Illini, are two graduates of the Master's programme in Health Care Management at the University of Greifswald who, after completing our studies, went on to hold various positions in hospital management and hospital policy. In the course of our professional careers, we each ended up in China, independently of one another, working on hospital management projects. In November 2019, we built on this shared experience and founded the Deutsch-Chinesische Gesellschaft für Health Care Management (then DCG-Health OHG).

Our primary aim is to promote and support exchange between German and Chinese healthcare institutions, with a focus on hospitals. We are particularly committed to establishing regular exchange and fostering a better understanding of healthcare provision in both countries.

During our work in China, we mainly took on ‘classic’ management consultancy tasks, but we were always fascinated by how naturally TCM is integrated into the treatment process. Both aspects are reflected in our formats: a look at the hospitals of both countries and an in-depth insight into Traditional Chinese Medicine and its integration into the treatment process.

  1. 2019
    • DCG-Health is founded Michael Draheim and Lukas Illini found the German-Chinese Society for Health Care Management in Berlin.
  2. 2021
  3. 2022
  4. 2023
  5. 2024
  6. 2025
  7. 2026