Faculty of Medicine University of Augsburg

Medizinische Fakultät (Universität Augsburg)

University of Augsburg

More details about Faculty of Medicine:

Research focus on medical informatics

The research focus "Medical Information Sciences" - based on the paradigm "from Big Data to Smart Data" - aims to develop an intelligent handling of the large and heterogeneous amounts of data in medical research. There is a lot of data: for example from the large cohort studies, from health care, from biomedical databases, but also from fitness apps. How new insights can be gained from this information together is the challenge that is examined here. Other topics include the development of methods and technologies and the construction of new, internet-based infrastructures for a learning health system. The healthcare sector, patient care, clinical research and biotechnology can all benefit from this. In addition, the more efficient use of resources through IT systems, research on telemedicine and mobile health (apps & wearables) as well as the computer-based modeling and simulation of disease processes, also under the aspect of environmental influences and therapeutic interventions, are further aspects with which “Medical Information Sciences ”.

Research focus on environment and health

The research field “Environmental Health Sciences” aims to identify positive and negative influences from the environment on health - these can also be social ones - and to develop prevention approaches. Research is also being carried out into the further development of diagnosis and therapy. Topics include Air pollutants, environmental microbiology or climate change as well as social influences on the development, course and treatment of diseases. Not only skin diseases or diseases of the respiratory tract are the focus of interest. Rather, environmental factors also promote the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system such as heart attacks or heart failure.

For the Science Council, this is addressing a research field that has not been adequately processed in Germany and whose topics are highly topical. “In the USA, the environment and health research field has long been established as an essential area of ​​medical research, in which very large amounts are invested every year. In Germany we want to strengthen this focus in Augsburg, ”reports Prof. Dr. Sabine Doering-Manteuffel from her trip to the USA, during which she visited designated research centers in the "Environmental Health Sciences". In addition to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, these include the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Environmental Protection Agency and the renowned Harvard University.

The World Health Organization estimates that 23 percent of all deaths worldwide are related to environmental influences - air pollutants, unclean water, contaminated food, but also noise, chemicals, radiation, pollution at work or in agriculture.