DGPPN doctoral prize for Lamadé and Deuschle
Dr. Eva Kathrin Lamadé, doctoral student, and her supervisor Prof. Dr. Michael Deuschle have been awarded the DGPPN Doctoral Prize - Hans Heimann Prize. The doctoral thesis is entitled “Effects of maternal childhood trauma on insulin-like growth factor 1 and -2 in the amniotic fluid of the fetus”. Maternal stress during and before pregnancy is associated with developmental deficits and susceptibility to mental illness in the offspring, possibly through changes in fetal growth factors. The dissertation provides a deeper understanding of the development of this transgenerational vulnerability to mental illness and thus not only closes gaps in knowledge, but also raises exciting new questions. The data can also be used and applied, for example, to improve early intervention programmes or to develop individualized therapeutic approaches for the treatment of mental illnesses.
Young talent award for pain for Angela Serian
Angela Serian, research associate in the “Learning and Plasticity in Mental Disorders” working group under Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Dr. h.c. Herta Flor in the “Neuropsychology and Psychological Resilience Research” department, has received the “Pain 2024 Junior Researcher Award” for her project “Modulation of phantom limb pain by transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)”. The CIMH researcher was awarded first prize, which comes with prize money of 6,000 euros. In her work, she wants to investigate whether a special type of electrical stimulation of the brain, known as transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), can help to alleviate phantom limb pain. Phantom limb pain is the pain that people feel even though a part of their body, such as an arm or leg, is no longer there. It is not yet clear to what extent transcranial alternating current stimulation represents a promising possibility for further research into the perception of pain, in particular the involvement of rhythmic oscillations of the brain, so-called neuronal oscillations, in the perception of pain and how they can be changed.
The Young Researcher Award for Pain is awarded annually by the German Pain Society and is presented during the German Pain Congress of the German Pain Society. The prize is awarded to young scientists with their own innovative project that is expected to have a significant impact on the treatment of acute and chronic pain.
Recognition award for MHFA Ersthelfer
MHFA Ersthelfer has received a recognition award from the DGPPN and the Action Alliance for Mental Health as part of the Ulrike Fritze Lindenthal Antistigma Award. The project, initiated by the CIMH and carried out in partnership with the Beisheim Foundation, is the German version of the Australian Mental Health First Aid program. It is an evidence-based initiative that trains lay people to help people with mental health problems and in crisis. The aim is to make first aid for mental health as commonplace as first aid for physical health and to encourage open conversations about mental health.
Award for one of the best abstracts submitted
Dr. Christian Clemm von Hohenberg received an award for one of the best abstracts submitted for free papers at the DGPPN Congress 2024. The abstract was entitled: “Speech-based markers of affect - an ambulatory assessment study in individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment”.
Poster prize for Iris Reinhard and Sabine Hoffmann
At the International Biometric Conference (IBC) 2024 in Atlanta/USA, CIMH researchers Dr. Iris Reinhard and Sabine Hoffmann were awarded a poster prize (Best Poster Presentation Award, 3rd Place). The title of the poster was: “Two-part models to handle too many zeros in analyses of EMA data in the area of Alcohol Use Disorder”. This is a simulation study aimed at improving statistical analysis methods in longitudinal studies.