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Epidemiology and
Biostatistics
Epidemiology has a relatively short tradition
in Germany. Thirty years ago few research
departments with a focus on epidemiology
existed at German universities. Although
the University of Heidelberg was not one
of them at the time, some epidemiological
activities nonetheless took place within
the clinical departments or within other
institutes. In 1998, a new position for a full
professor in epidemiology and biostatistics
was created at the medical faculty of the
University of Heidelberg, assigned to the
Institute of Public Health, at that time under
its former name "Department of Tropical
Hygiene and Public Health".
www.ukl-hd.de/epistat
The unit "Epidemiology and biostatistics"
headed by Prof. Heiko Becher, is the only
formal "section" within the institute. Major
milestones in its development were two
projects within the collaborative research
grant SFB 544 "Control of tropical infectious
diseases" from 1999 to 2011, and a PhD
programme (Graduiertenkolleg 793) on
"Epidemiology of communicable and chronic,
non-communicable diseases and their inter-
relationships", funded from 2002 to 2011.
The unit started with just four members, and
has now grown to a considerable size. A majo-
rity of its staff is funded through research
grants which has increased substantially over
the last years, with a total funding amount of
6,13 million Euro from 2006 to 2012.
Head:
Prof. Dr. Heiko Becher
Administrator:
Elke Braun-van der Hoeven
Data manager:
Gabriele Stieglbauer
Postdocs:
PD Dr. Heribert Ramroth (deputy head)
Dr. Sabine Gabrysch
Dr. Volker Winkler
Dr. Gisela Kynast-Wolf
Dr. Anton Safer
Doctoral students:
Andreas Deckert
Ema Kuhrs
Eva Lorenz
Robin Nesbitt
Irene Santi
Heiko Zimmermann
IT support:
Oumar Mamadou Dia
Associate members:
Prof. Olaf Müller
Dr. Valérie Louis
Dr. Florian Neuhann
Nobila Ouedraogo
In addition, some doctoral students and
undergraduate students are involved ad hoc
on small-scale assistant contracts.
The unit covers a range of different research
areas which include studies in infectious
disease epidemiology, with a focus on
malaria and tuberculosis, studies of chronic
diseases (e.g. cancer, stroke), studies in
social epidemiology in migrants, maternal
and child health epidemiology, descriptive
studies with a focus on Africa, biostatistical
research projects and others.
The unit is also actively involved in teaching.