University of Kiel
Bier began his medical education at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in 1881, transferred to the Leipzig University in 1882, and transferred again to the University of Kiel in 1883. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Kiel in 1886, Bier worked as a general practitioner and ship's surgeon just outside the city of Kiel – which is a major port on the Baltic Sea. Bier began his residency in 1888 at the surgical clinic at the University of Kiel, under the mentorship of Friedrich von Esmarch. After professorships in Greifswald and Bonn, Bier was appointed Chief Surgeon and Geheimrat Professor of Surgery at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin.