Medical School OWL
Working groups and specialised clinics
Working groups
- Sustainable Environmental Health Sciences
- Medical assistance systems
- Anatomy and cell biology
- Digital medicine
© metamorworks/stock.adobe.com Urs-Vito Albrecht
AG 4 Digital Medicine deals with the digital transformation as an ongoing process of change based on digital technologies that is changing the healthcare system, the clinics, universities and professions involved. It offers a great opportunity for better healthcare. However, this requires both the development and evaluation of digital technologies, the creation of innovative, digitally supported treatment processes in practices and clinics and the adequate qualification of the people involved.
- General and family medicine
© Alexander Raths/stock.adobe.com Christiane Muth
The General and Family Medicine working group focuses on people with chronic multiple illnesses and frequent multi-medication. These people often require intensive care and are particularly vulnerable to acute illnesses. The working group conducts research to improve their care and integrates relevant content into general medical education and training.
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
© Sven Thoms Sven Thoms
The working group conducts research into rare genetic brain and muscle diseases caused by defects in the formation and function of cell organelles (including peroxisomes and the T-tubule system). The working group is also working on a novel gene regulation mechanism based on translational readthrough, i.e. the targeted over-reading of stop codons. The methods we use include: Protein biochemistry, lipids, in vitro systems, iPSC, CRISPR/Cas, microscopy (live, FRET, ultra-high resolution), cell and mouse models.
- Medical Education
© fpm/istockphoto.com Hendrik Friederichs
AG 7 Medical Education of the Faculty of Medicine is active in the cross-sectional area of medical didactics, medical teaching development and educational research and plays a central role in the organisation and further development of teaching at the Faculty.
The focus is on the education of students in the Bielefeld model degree programme in Human Medicine
- Cellular Neurophysiology
Illustration: Erhard Wischmeyer Erhard Wischmeyer
The focus of research in our working group is on excitation disorders of nerve and muscle cells, which are caused by altered membrane proteins (ion channels and receptors) and can, for example, cause mental illnesses or cardiac arrhythmias. Content of teaching includes the areas of physiology and pathophysiology.
- Physiology and pathophysiology of cells and membranes
- Gender-sensitive medicine
© wladimir1804/stock.adobe.com Sabine Oertelt-Prigione
Different genders can be affected differently by diseases. This can be due to biological causes as well as different behaviours or a different approval of medical care. WG 10 is dedicated to gender-sensitive medicine, which aims to support future doctors in person-centred communication, diagnosis and treatment of patients.
- Biophysical Chemistry and Diagnostics
Anna Pfeifer Tilman Kottke
Our interdisciplinary working group focusses on the perception of light. We analyse the structure and function of receptors that control the circadian rhythm, among other things, and are used in optogenetics. We are developing infrared spectroscopy in aqueous media as a diagnostic tool on living cells and human cell lines.
- Biostatistics and Medical Biometrics
Bielefeld University Annika Hoyer
Biostatistics and medical biometrics deals with statistical methods for describing, analysing and interpreting data and questions from the life sciences and medical research. Our focus is on the development of statistical methods for meta-analyses and survival time analyses, as well as on the modelling of disease dynamics.
- Translational Pharmacology
Bielefeld University Tilo Grosser
Translational pharmacology is at the interface between non-clinical and clinical research. Our scientific focus is on research into individualised drug therapies for chronic diseases. We investigate mechanisms of variability in drug effects and side effects using laboratory experiments and carefully conducted proof-of-concept studies in volunteers and patients.
- Interactive robotics in medicine and care
Bielefeld University/Patrick Pollmeier Anna-Lisa Vollmer
The focus of our working group is to enable robots to co-construct individual tasks with human users - people with support needs, relatives and healthcare professionals - and to translate them into ethically justifiable use cases desired by humans.
- History and theory of medicine
- Ethics of medicine
- Clinical neuropsychology with a focus on epilepsy research
Bielefeld University Philip Grewe
Our working group investigates the relationship between epilepsy and cognitive function at the interface of medicine and psychology. Research is focussed on investigating the cognitive effects of epilepsy treatment (e.g. epilepsy surgery, medication) and the mechanisms of epilepsy-associated memory disorders. Special consideration is given to psychiatric and psychosocial factors.
University Clinic for
- Anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine
Evangelical Hospital Bethel Sebastian Rehberg
The University Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Transfusion Medicine and Pain Therapy provides clinical care across the entire spectrum of these areas of expertise. It is fully authorised to provide further and advanced training for specialist qualifications and all additional training in the area of expertise.
- Paediatrics
Evangelical Hospital Bethel Eckard Hamelmann
The University Clinic for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine is a maximum care hospital which, in addition to General Paediatrics, has 4 specialisations (paediatric cardiology, paediatric oncology, neonatology, neuropaediatrics) and other areas of paediatrics (allergology, diabetology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectiology, intensive care medicine, pneumology). With this spectrum, we treat approx. 7,000 full inpatients and approx. 50,000 outpatients/partial inpatients at the paediatric centre every year.
In our specialised departments, we focus on the treatment of children and adolescents with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Accordingly, we are involved in clinical and care studies for these clinical pictures. In addition, as part of a newborn cohort ("Little Owls OWL"), we are investigating the influence of the microbiome on the development of health and illness in the context of the environment and psyche, among other things.
- Child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy
Evangelical Hospital Bethel As a research department of the University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, we are concerned with the development, treatment and prevention of mental breakdowns in children and adolescents. Within our department, we are divided into two working groups with different specialisations: the Clinical Psychology Working Group and the Clinical Neuropsychology Working Group.
- Epileptology
Von Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen Bethel Christian G. Bien
The University Clinic for Epileptology offers the entire spectrum of diagnostics and therapy for seizure disorders. Epilepsy is a window to the brain. We therefore deal scientifically with structural causes of epilepsy, autoimmune encephalitides and epilepsies, pharmacotherapy, epilepsy and disability or the social consequences of the disease. We use the opportunities offered by pre-surgical epilepsy diagnostics to gain insights into brain functions through neuropsychological and neurophysiological examinations. The focus here is on memory research.
- General and Visceral Surgery - Liver and Tumour Biology
©EvKB Jan Schulte am Esch
At the University Clinic for General and Visceral Surgery on Campus Bielefeld-Bethel, we treat patients across the entire spectrum of the subject. This ranges from the oesophagus to the stomach and (rectum) intestine as well as the hormone-producing glands including the thyroid gland and the upper abdominal organs such as the liver and pancreas. In addition to benign diseases, there is a particular focus on the treatment of malignant tumours. Our focus of research has developed from the diversity of surgical diseases and their therapies. In addition to improving surgical therapies, including robotics, our overarching scientific topics include the biology of liver damage and repair as well as tumours and their metastases in the body. In terms of translational approaches, the bidirectional interaction of our research team, research unit, research group with the clinical symptoms of our patients as the starting point of the scientific questions for our projects is of great importance.
- Clinical Cardiology
Bielefeld Hospital Christoph Stellbrink
AG 203 of the Department of Cardiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine at the Campus Bielefeld Hospital focuses of research on cardiomyopathies (in particular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), rhythmology and device therapy, heart failure and coronary and valvular heart disease. The focus is on applied clinical research that is individualised and patient-centred to improve medical care. We emphasise an interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach and participate in the digital transformation in cardiology by investigating innovative treatment concepts. Our broad, but also specialised treatment spectrum as a maximum care provider in a major city enables us to pursue multifaceted and beneficial scientific endeavours.
- Cardiology
Lippe Hospital Stephan Gielen
At the University Clinic for Cardiology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine at the campus Klinikum Lippe Detmold, we provide care for all angiological and cardiological emergencies in the region and offer personalised maximum care for increasingly elderly and multimorbid patients with our focus on complex and high-risk coronary interventions (CHIP), heart failure, interdisciplinary angiology and internal intensive care medicine. Another focus of scientific activity is preventive medicine (individual prevention counselling and lipid management).
- Psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychosomatics
Evangelical Hospital Bethel Martin Driessen
At the University Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, almost all mental breakdowns are treated in multi-professional outpatient, day-clinic and inpatient departments. The team at the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy serves the entire city of Bielefeld as a catchment area (Epidemiological Catchment Area) and is closely networked with the providers of community psychiatric and psychosocial services, addiction and elderly care in the region. We are a member of the OWL Academy of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (specialist training and training of psychological psychotherapists in our own institute).
- Trauma surgery
Evangelical Hospital Bethel Thomas Vordemvenne
At the University Clinic for Trauma Surgery and Orthopaedics on Campus Bielefeld-Bethel, we treat all injuries to the bones and musculoskeletal system. As a supra-regional trauma centre of the highest level of care, we work closely with other specialist disciplines to provide care for the most seriously injured in the region. In addition, the University Hospital has been appointed by the German Social Accident Insurance for the treatment of severely injured patients following accidents at work. The clinic thus covers the entire spectrum of acute and elective musculoskeletal medicine.
The scientific focus is on the optimisation of impaired bone healing, the special features of treating musculoskeletal pathologies in people with disabilities, the evaluation of innovative visualisation techniques for therapy planning and rehabilitation as well as intersectoral networking.- Ear, nose and throat medicine
Bielefeld Hospital Ingo Todt
The focus of research in our working group is on cell biology, genetics and therapy of head and neck tumours as well as research into inflammatory mechanisms in the middle ear and paranasal sinuses and hearing physiology (cochlear implants). The working group conducts research into the improved care of patients with head and neck tumours and chronic inflammation in the ENT area (chronic middle ear inflammation, cholesteatoma, chronic rhinosinusitis) and integrates relevant content into ENT training and further education.
- Neurosurgery
©EvKB Matthias Simon
At the Department of Neurosurgery, we advise and treat patients with all neurosurgical conditions. Our focus is on degenerative, traumatic and malignant diseases of the spine and spinal cord as well as the supervision of people with tumours of the brain, meninges and skull base. In addition, we are a supra-regional care centre for cerebral haemorrhages and diseases of the cerebral vessels, such as aneurysms, in close cooperation with the Department of Neuroradiology.
Our patients benefit from state-of-the-art surgical techniques, including robot-assisted surgery, fluorescence and fluorescence angiography, surgical microscopy and intraoperative ultrasound. We supervise people of all ages and work closely with specialist departments such as paediatrics, neurology, anaesthesiology, trauma surgery and ENT.
We carry out scientific analyses and participate in national and international studies to continuously improve patient care. We are also highly committed to the clinical and scientific training of students and junior doctors.
- Gynaecology and obstetrics
Lippe Hospital Beyhan Ataseven
The University Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics with a focus on Gynaecological Oncology at the UK OWL is located at the Detmold Clinic under the chairmanship of Prof. MD Beyhan Ataseven. Our clinic provides maximum gynaecological care in the region. The Lippe Breast Centre - North Rhine-Westphalia's oldest breast centre, the Lippe Perinatal Centre (Level 1) and the Clinic for Gynaecology and Gynaecological Oncology are located under the umbrella of the University Women's Clinic.
The focus is on the complex treatment of gynaecological malignancies. Particularly noteworthy are radical and supraradical multivisceral surgery for advanced gynaecological malignancies - especially ovarian carcinoma - as well as minimally invasive procedures for endometrial and cervical carcinomas. The focus here is on robotic surgery as the most modern form of minimally invasive surgical technique. Since its foundation, the University Women's Hospital has introduced and implemented innovative approaches to bring modern, personalised medicine in oncological therapy to the location.
The clinic's focus of research includes personalised oncological therapies, the role of predictive and prognostic factors in gynaecological oncology and hereditary carcinoma burden in gynaecology (focus of research on familial breast and ovarian cancer and Lynch syndrome). The aim of our scientific work is to answer clinically relevant questions and to have an impact on everyday practice. In addition, modern surgical technologies and the optimisation of surgical issues in gynaecological oncology are intensively researched as part of multicentre/international collaborative research. The expansion of scientific work with a focus on clinical care research is also being continuously driven forward.
- Orthopaedics
Lippe Hospital Karl-Dietrich Sievert
The University Department of Urology at the campus Klinikum Lippe Detmold diagnoses and treats the complete spectrum of adult urology from benign diseases to oncological urological diseases.
The current clinical and scientific focus is on uro oncology and reconstructive urology. Another scientific focus is precision diagnostics, which is being advanced in close co-operation with the local pathology department. This has already shown that the corresponding improvement in diagnostics enables faster initiation and individualised therapy through interdisciplinarity.
University Institute for
- Laboratory Medicine and Clinical Pathobiochemistry
Lippe Hospital Thorsten Kaiser
The University Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology and Clinical Pathobiochemistry provides the Lippe Hospital with its locations in Detmold and Lemgo, as well as outpatients and inpatients, with a wide range of laboratory medical and microbiological diagnostics and is responsible for teaching and research. The focus of research currently being developed is "Precise Clinical Decision Support and Digital Laboratory Medicine", "Systems Medicine, Precise Spectroscopic Multiparameter Diagnostics", "Inflammation and Degeneration" and "Biomarker-Driven Precise Prevention". To this end, the laboratory and the diagnostic spectrum are being consistently further developed and a new building is being planned at the Detmold location. The Institute supervises the Lippe biobank site and will actively support the development and phenotyping of large cohort studies with its expertise in laboratory medicine.
- Clinical Radiology
Lippe Hospital Michel Eisenblätter
The University Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology is the academic centre for imaging diagnostics and image-guided therapy in OWL.
The entire spectrum of clinical radiology is offered, in addition to testing new methods, such as image analysis for clinical application. In this context, there are co-operations with non-university research institutions and industry.
Together with other diagnostic disciplines, concepts for the integration of diagnostic information are being developed. Multiparametric biomarker patterns from imaging, laboratory chemical and pathological information help to better classify and track complex diseases.
In the laboratory for preclinical imaging at the central university campus, molecular and cellular processes in the living organism are visualised and made measurable using imaging techniques in order to provide information on the development and spread of diseases.
