| Wolfgang Oertel Wolfgang H. Oertel, MD is Senior Research Hertie Professor of the charitable Hertie Foundation (2014-2022) at the Philipps Universität of Marburg. From 1996 until 2014 he was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Universität Marburg. He studied chemistry (1969-1970, Tübingen) and medicine (1970-1976, Berlin and Newcastle upon Tyne, UK). After his experimental thesis on “Pharmacology and neurophysiology of the inner ear” (1978) he spent three years at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA (1978-1981 - purification of glutamic acid decarbo-xylase, immunohistochemical mapping of GABAergic neurons in rat brain). He received his neurolo-gical training at the Technische Universität München (1981-1986, board examination 1986). As Heisenberg Professor (1987-1992 - German Research Foundation, DFG) he trained in “Movement disorders” 1987 in London (Queens Square) and became consultant (1988) and Associate Professor of Neurology (1991-1996) at Klinikum Grosshadern, LM-Universität München before he moved to Marburg in 1996 (see above). |
| He received the Parkinson Frosst Award (1986) and the Dingebaur Award (2004) of the German Society of Neurology (DGN), the Wilhelm Humboldt Plaque (2009) of the German Parkinson Society (DPG) and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA – 2018). He initiated the „Referenzzentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen“ in München und das „Hertie Institute für Klinische Hirnforschung“ in Tübingen. Besides other assignments he has served as president of DGN (2011-2012), treasurer of the Movement Disorder Society (MDS), chairman of the European Section of MDS, president of DPG. At present he serves as the vice-president of the European Brain Council (2018-2020) and member of the subcommittee on European Affairs (2014-2020) on behalf of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN). He also is a member of the Scientific Panel for Health (SPH) at the Directorate Generale for Research and Innovation (EU-Brussels). His group has a proven record in initiating, coordinating and conducting large research consortia and clinical trials. Since 1999 he is the chairperson of the German Parkinson competence network and since 2003 the speaker of the German Parkinson Study group (GPS – 40 certified clinical trial centers). He coordinated the first European network on Parkinson syndromes (EUROPA - 2001-2004) and founded the International REM sleep behaviour study group in 2009. His scientific profile (h-factor 100) is translational research from molecular experimental research to clinical studies. Since 2005 his group focusses in experimental and clinical research on the prodromal stages of Parkinson’s disease with a special interest on REM-Sleep Behaviour Disorder (RBD). |
