THE MINISTER
Ursula von der Leyen is the 17th Minister of Defence. She was born in Brussels on 8 October 1958. She is married with seven children.
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (born 8 October 1958 in Brussels) is a German politician of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, and the current Federal Minister of Defence, the first woman in German history to hold that office.
She served as the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Second Merkel Cabinet and as Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the First Merkel Cabinet (2005–2009). By profession she is a physician.
Her husband, Heiko von der Leyen, is a professor of medicine and a member of the von der Leyen family of silk industrialists.
Ursula von der Leyen started her studies in 1977 in the field of economics, at the universities of Göttingen, Münster and London School of Economics. In 1980, she dropped her studies in economics, switching to medicine. She subsequently studied at Hanover Medical School, whence she graduated in 1987 after seven years.
From 1988 to 1992, she worked as an assistant doctor at the Women's Clinic of the Medical School of the University of Hanover. Upon completing her postgraduate studies, she earned a doctorate in medicine (Dr. med.) in 1991. From 1992 to 1996 she worked as a housewife in Stanford, California while her husband was a faculty member of Stanford University.
From 1998 to 2002, she was a faculty member at the Department of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health System Research at the Medical School of the University of Hanover, where in 2001, she earned a Master's Degree in Public Health. She grew up bilingually in Belgium and speaks German and French at a native level as well as English.
Since 17 December 2013, von der Leyen has been Federal Minister of Defence.
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (born 8 October 1958 in Brussels) is a German politician of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, and the current Federal Minister of Defence, the first woman in German history to hold that office.
She served as the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Second Merkel Cabinet and as Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the First Merkel Cabinet (2005–2009). By profession she is a physician.
Her husband, Heiko von der Leyen, is a professor of medicine and a member of the von der Leyen family of silk industrialists.
Ursula von der Leyen started her studies in 1977 in the field of economics, at the universities of Göttingen, Münster and London School of Economics. In 1980, she dropped her studies in economics, switching to medicine. She subsequently studied at Hanover Medical School, whence she graduated in 1987 after seven years.
From 1988 to 1992, she worked as an assistant doctor at the Women's Clinic of the Medical School of the University of Hanover. Upon completing her postgraduate studies, she earned a doctorate in medicine (Dr. med.) in 1991. From 1992 to 1996 she worked as a housewife in Stanford, California while her husband was a faculty member of Stanford University.
From 1998 to 2002, she was a faculty member at the Department of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health System Research at the Medical School of the University of Hanover, where in 2001, she earned a Master's Degree in Public Health. She grew up bilingually in Belgium and speaks German and French at a native level as well as English.
Since 17 December 2013, von der Leyen has been Federal Minister of Defence.