The turn of the year brings a change at the top of Austria’s leading addiction clinic. The retiring Prim. Dr. Wolfgang Preinsperger, MBA follows Prim. Dr. Roland Mader as medical director. In addition to treating substance-related forms of addiction such as alcohol or medication addiction, Mader has successfully implemented treatment options for non-substance-related addictions, such as online or gambling addiction, at the Anton Proksch Institute.
At the beginning of 2025, Prim. Dr. Roland Mader is the medical director of the Anton Proksch Institute. With him, an equally committed and experienced expert will continue the medical and therapeutic offerings of Europe’s largest addiction clinic in the usual high quality and – in keeping with the tried and tested tradition of the house – develop new things from the tried and tested.
Dr. Mader succeeds Prim. Dr. Wolfgang Preinsperger, whom he most recently served as deputy. Prime Minister Preinsperger, who is now retiring, has successfully led the Anton Proksch Institute through the particularly challenging years of the corona pandemic since he took office in 2021. His era also included the comprehensive renovation of the API headquarters, which was completed with the opening of Europe’s most modern addiction clinic in September 2024 – a milestone in the history of the Anton Proksch Institute. With STEPS, a specific therapy offer for adolescents and young adults in transition psychiatric age, Preinsperger designed a program that is unique in Austria.
The focus is on the needs of the patients
Dr. Mader has been working in various areas at the Anton Proksch Institute for a good 35 years and also began his training as a specialist in psychiatry and neurology here. Further stations in his professional career included the University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry in Vienna, the University Clinic for Psychiatry in Graz, the Vienna Psychosocial Services, the Leopoldstadt Outpatient Clinic and the Psychiatric Hospital of the City of Vienna (Otto Wagner Hospital).
“At API, the best possible treatment for our clients will continue to be our top priority in the future,” said Mader. “Our therapeutic philosophy, which focuses on the person as a whole, offers a good basis for this. The aim of the treatment is to enable the patient to return to a self-determined and joyful everyday life. This also includes participating in social life on an equal basis and being well prepared for a return to work. In order to achieve this goal, the API relies on successful and appreciative cooperation between all professional groups in our multi-professional teams. Ultimately, the notion that physical, psychological and social aspects cannot be viewed separately is at the core of our understanding of illness. With the new clinic, the API has the best conditions so that such cooperation can be realized even more effectively in the interests of the patients.”
Well equipped for changing treatment needs
In order to take into account the individual needs of its clients and the demands of a constantly changing society, the Anton Proksch Institute has differentiated its offering in recent years and established a number of treatment focuses. In order to continue on this path, knowledge of the latest medical and therapeutic findings and the exchange of experiences with experts are an essential prerequisite.
“We are convinced that with Dr. “Mader has found a medical director who not only knows these requirements very well, but has also made them a crucial part of his everyday professional life,” said API Managing Director DSA Gabriele Gottwald-Nathaniel, MAS. “At the same time, it is very important to me to thank Prim. Preinsperger. He lived the resource-oriented therapy approach of the Anton Proksch Institute like no other and initiated the extensive restructuring that will put our institution in the best possible position for the future.”
About the Anton Proksch Institute
The first clinic of the Anton Proksch Institute in Vienna-Liesing was opened in 1961. Today, the state-of-the-art clinic has 266 beds, 50 places available for a day clinic in the form of all-day outpatient therapy and outpatient care places. All common forms of addiction are treated: alcohol addiction, dependence on illegal substances and medications, pathological gambling as well as online, shopping and work addiction. The owners of the non-profit special hospital are VAMED and the Anton Proksch Institute Vienna Foundation. In addition to the main location in Liesing, there are outpatient clinics and outpatient addiction counseling centers in Vienna-Wieden, Baden, Mödling, Wr. Neustadt and Neunkirchen as well as an inpatient social assistance/rehabilitation facility in Mödling-Hinterbrühl.