MONID spokesperson Rafael Mikolajczyk (OptimAgent and RESPINOW networks) was elected to the board of the German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi e. V.) for a further term of office in June. The Professor of Epidemiology and Biometry and Head of the Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics at the Medical Faculty of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Halle (Saale) has been actively involved in the DGEpi Board for two years. Mikolajczyk is already very much looking forward to the new two-year term of office, which begins in 2025: “I think the initiative to think about the future of epidemiology in the DGEpi, good national and international cooperation in epidemiology with neighboring expertise and the exchange with relevant professional societies and research networks, such as MONID, are important. An important topic here is the future place of epidemiology in human medicine training,” he says, commenting on the goals that are particularly close to his heart.
Also in June, André Karch, member of the MONID steering group (“RESPINOW” and “OptimAgent” networks), was elected Deputy President of DGEpi for the years 2025 and 2028 and DGEpi President for the years 2026 and 2027. “The central motivation for my commitment to the DGEpi Board is the numerous and increasingly clear challenges that we will have to face as a healthcare system, society and specialist discipline in the coming years. The last four years have impressively demonstrated how important a strong, interdisciplinary and internationally networked epidemiological society is for supporting decision-makers in these processes with evidence and expertise,” says Karch. In addition to a more intensive exchange with other specialist societies, the promotion of young talent is also an important concern for him. Karch has held the Chair of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Münster since 2018 and is also Deputy Head of the Medical Biobank at the Faculty of Medicine and Principal Investigator (PI) of the NAKO health study. He has been active in various activities at the DGEpi since 2011, including as spokesperson for the Epidemiological Methods Working Group and as an advisor to the Executive Board during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Berit Lange, spokesperson for the MONID Board (RESPINOW and OptimAgent networks), currently holds the office of President of DGEpi.
Background:
The DGEpi is constituted by the General Assembly and the Executive Board, which was last elected in June 2024. DGEpi members form working groups (WGs) to manage their activities. DGEpi currently has 18 WGs that contribute to the development of the discipline and DGEpi. Some of these are also anchored in other specialist societies.
Sources and further information:
- German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi e. V.) https://www.dgepi.de
- PDF with more detailed information “DGEpi board election 2024”
- as well as details about the DGEpi board and organization via https://www.dgepi.de/home/organisation-and-vorstand/
(Featured image: left: Prof. Dr. André Karch [Image: ©T.Hauss], right: Prof. Dr. Rafael Mikolajczyk [Image: ©Unimedizin Halle], DGEpi logo: used with kind permission of DGEpi e. V.)
