Public Health Union Heidelberg - Mannheim

Verbund Heidelberg - Mannheim (HD - MA)

Heidelberg University has a peculiarity in that it hosts two medical faculties. One is located in Heidelberg, the other in the cities of Mannheim about 20 km apart. While the Public Health department of the Heidelberg Medical Faculty, has existed for 45 years and has had its main focus on the developing world, the Mannheim Medical Faculty founded a sister institute in 2006: the Institute of Public Health, Social- and Preventive Medicine with a complementary focus on industrialized countries.


With the creation of the Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine and the appointment of Prof. J. Fischer as Chair in June 2006, the capacity in the field of public health was considerably strengthened. This was done in a strategic way such that complementary research areas and skills were added ("stress research")to what had been there in Heidelberg, or alternatively, other areas were strategically strengthened (such as "healthy ageing").The following graph shows a sketch of themes and research groups of both Medical Faculties in Mannheim (blue) and Heidelberg (green) and how they complement each other.

The two Chairs of Public Health of Heidelberg University, Rainer Sauerborn in Heidelberg and Joachim Fischer in Mannheim are committed to join forces in research, teaching and other activities related to public health. They created a Public Health Union in September 2006, endorsed by both Deans and the Rector of the University.

Formally, the departments will remain independent at either faculty. However, the "union" will materialize in common research applications, a common creation of a network of scientists working in themes related to public health and a complementary organization with respect to the expertise and excellence being concentrated at each department.