About PD Dr. med. habil. Carlos A. Reck-Burneo
Dr. Carlos A. Reck-Burneo is a pediatric surgeon trained on three continents: medical school in Quito, pediatrics residency in New York, specialist training in pediatric surgery in Vienna and a fellowship in pediatric colorectal surgery with Dr. Marc Levitt at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Since May 1, 2025 he has been Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Urology at University Hospital Brandenburg an der Havel in Germany.
A career across three continents
Born in Ecuador, with German roots. Carlos A. Reck-Burneo earned his MD and BA at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (1996 to 2003), graduating top of his class, cum laude. After working as a rural doctor in Ecuador, he completed his pediatrics residency at Long Island College Hospital / Beth Israel Medical Center in New York (2005 to 2008), where he received the Joseph R. Bongiorno Award for outstanding compassion, professionalism and academic achievement. He holds US board certification in pediatrics (first certified in 2008, recertified in December 2024).
He then trained as a pediatric surgeon at the Medical University of Vienna (2008 to 2015), with specialist recognition in pediatric surgery by the Austrian Medical Chamber. From 2015 to 2016 he was fellow in pediatric colorectal surgery with Dr. Marc Levitt at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, followed by a research fellowship at the same center (2016 to 2017) and an appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor at Ohio State University (2015 to 2017). He trained under Dr. Marc Levitt, a long-standing colleague and scientific partner of Dr. Alberto Pena, whose school shaped modern pediatric colorectal surgery.
Back in Austria, he held senior pediatric surgical roles at the Medical University of Vienna (2017 to 2021), where he built up a multidisciplinary motility center for children, and at Landesklinikum Moedling (2021 to 2023). He then served as Assistant Professor of Surgery and Associate Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in New York (2024 to 2025). Since May 1, 2025 he has been Chief of the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery and Pediatric Urology at University Hospital Brandenburg an der Havel.
What "PD Dr. med. habil." means
In the German-speaking academic system, "Dr. med." is the medical doctorate. "Habil." refers to the habilitation, a postdoctoral qualification awarded after an additional body of independent research; it confers the venia legendi, the authorization to teach at university level. "PD" (Privatdozent) is the academic title that comes with it. Dr. Reck-Burneo completed his habilitation at the Medical University of Vienna in 2022. The title is an academic qualification, not a professorship.
Research
Dr. Reck-Burneo has authored more than 50 scientific articles in PubMed-listed journals and is co-editor and co-author of "Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Surgery: Case Studies" (Reck, Lane, Wood, Levitt; Taylor & Francis, 2017), as well as several book chapters on pediatric colorectal surgery. His research focuses on anorectal malformations, Hirschsprung disease, cloacal malformations, bowel management, surgical simulation and training, and artificial intelligence in pediatric surgery. ORCID profile: orcid.org/0000-0003-4284-8969
Humanitarian work
He is co-founder and chairman of Helping Hands for Anorectal Malformations, a charitable association based in Vienna that performs surgical missions and trains local teams in Honduras; this work is documented in the scientific literature.
Author for parents
Dr. Reck-Burneo wrote the parent guide "Hilfe für kleine Bäuche" on childhood constipation (obstibook.com). The book is currently available in German.
Profile at the hospital
Official profile at University Hospital Brandenburg an der Havel: uk-brandenburg.de (German-language page).
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