Tübingen becomes site of the German Center for Mental Health - IWM joins as cooperation partner

Creating optimal research conditions to combat widespread diseases is a key concern of the German Centers for Health Research funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The University Hospital and the Medical Faculty of the University of Tübingen, together with other Tübingen cooperation partners, are going to take on the establishment of the new German Center for Mental Health. That was announced yesterday by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

As part of the research network, the IWM will also contribute to expand psychotherapy research and provide innovative ways to communicate new research findings to the public. After all, digital media are already applied in different parts of the healthcare sector: "They can provide in-depth training for physicians and therapists or support the doctor-patient relationship”, explained Prof. Dr. Ulrike Cress, Executive Director at the IWM. "We look forward to working with the other research partners to use the potential of knowledge media across the spectrum of mental health and therapies”, she stated.

In the past, there have already been numerous cooperation projects with the University Hospital Tübingen, for example as part of the Leibniz Science Campus Tübingen (WCT) as well as other BMBF- and DFG-funded projects. Among other projects, computer interfaces have been developed for a variety of medical purposes and studied with respect to doctor-patient communication, interprofessional collaboration in health care, and medical education. In addition, the use of social networks to educate patients and VR interfaces that can be used in therapies were explored.

Over the next six months, the cooperation partners involved will develop implementation concepts. The Federal Ministry of Research stated that the funding phase, in which the federal and state governments participate, will then begin.