Networks

Department 2, Epidemiology and Health Monitoring

The main topics handled in this department are physical and mental health, health-related behavior, and social determinants and health. The department Epidemiology and Health Monitoring carries out nationwide health monitoring. The data collected in the regular representative health surveys is included in the health reporting of the Federal Government.

Unit 2-22: Cooperation with federal states, health insurance funds and associations, committees; advisory board for Women´s Health

The Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) is a specialist authority for prevention and health promotion within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).

The DZHK uses results from basic sciences to translate them into treatments and diagnostic procedures for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Research at the DZHK is intended to help reduce the number of people dying from cardiovascular diseases and improve the quality of life of those affected.

Research at the AOK Research Institute (WIdO) focuses on care provision. This includes utilization of health and care services and their financing. The AOK Research Institute (WIdO) mostly works with utilization data of patients insured within the AOK. On the one hand, WIdO supports the AOK system in its tasks of cooperation and negotiation with health care providers within and across different sectors of care; on the other hand, it conducts and publishes scientific research in order to improve the quality and efficiency of health care provision in general.

The German Centre of Gerontology aims at increasing, collecting, evaluating, processing, and disseminating knowledge about the living arrangements of aging and older people in order to use this knowledge for scientifically independent consultation on the challenges of an aging population for society and social policy.

Research at the IBA focuses on biomedicine and experimental gerontology. Research projects of the institute include nutrition and metabolism in later life as well as muscle weakness (sarcopenia) and frailty.

Ageism (i.e., the complex and often negative social construction of old age) is highly prevalent. There is unequivocal evidence concerning the negative consequences associated with ageism at the individual, family and societal levels. This COST-network aims at enhancing scientific knowledge and societal attention to agism. 

The network studies the role of views on aging and age stereotypes in the health context across the life span. The results inform development of interventions and public policies.

This graduate school was initiated by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Heiner Bielefeldt and Prof. Dr. Andreas Frewer. Eleven doctoral students receive funding for their work on topics such as views on aging, competence regarding activities of daily living, quality of life, autonomy, people with dementia, medical care, care provision in old age, and advance directives. Each doctoral student is supervised by two professors from different disciplines including human rights, ethics, philosophy, medicine, geriatrics, psychogerontology, medicine law, public health, and health care research. The graduate school is funded by the Josef and Luise Kraft foundation.

The prevention research network AEQUIPA aims to motivate older adults to increase their physical activity and their usage of new technologies as well as promote health equity. Programs for individuals aged 65 and older are developed, implemented, and evaluated in the network. Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The Labor and Socio-Economic Research Center (LASER) is an interdisciplinary center composed of a variety of departments within the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg as well as from research institutions outside of the university. Its mission is to design and to promote common research, teaching, and consulting projects.

The increasing percentage of older people in the workforce calls for economic and political frameworks. Are older people able and willing to work longer in the future? The Competence Cluster NRW studies structural change in the workforce. Funding: Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of North-Rhine-Westphalia.

EARLINT is a research collaboration investigating approaches to implement early interventions in medical practices and in the general population.

The research network AERIAL explores innovative approaches of diagnostic procedures and interventions for addictive disorders as well as for patients with comorbid disorders like depression. Research projects of the AERIAL network address alcohol and tobacco abuse. Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Members of the scientific working group on treatment of nicotine dependence (WAT) study the effect of tobacco consumption on health. The aim is to develop and promote counseling and treatment programs in order to reduce diseases caused by nicotine consumption.