Prof. Dr. med. Andrea Pfennig
Junior Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Illness Course Research
Contact information
University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Technische Universität Dresden
Fetscherstraße 74, 01307 Dresden
Phone: +49 (0)351 458-3946
E-Mail:
Research Statement
Andrea Pfennig, Junior Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Illness Course Research, studies risk factors for the development of psychiatric disorders and influencing factors on the long-term course of these illnesses. She focusses on the development and the course of affective disorders and investigates the impact of early diagnosis and adequate treatment on the preservation of the psychosocial function.
Scientific Education
| 2009 | Junior Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden |
| 2006 | M.Sc. Epidemiology, Technische Universität Berlin and University of Bielefeld, 2006, Supervisor of Master`s thesis: Prof. Stefan Willich |
| 2002 | Dr. med., Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Supervisor: Prof. Georg Northoff |
| 1993 – 2000 | Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg |
| 1990 – 1993 | State-qualified Nurse, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg |
Professional Experience
| Since 07/2009 | Junior Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Illness Course Research |
| Since 01/2009 | Head of Prevention Clinic for psychiatric disorders with Early recognition and intervention centre |
| 09/2008 | Certified specialist Psychiatry and Psychotherapy |
| 11/2007 – 06/2009 | Research Physician, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, Technische Universität Dresden |
| 01/2007 – 10/2007 | Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden |
| 10/2003 – 12/2007 | Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité – University Medicine Berlin |
| 10/2003 – 12/2006 | Research Physician, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité – University Medicine Berlin |
| 02/2002 – 10/2003 | Research Physician, Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich |
| 02/2001 – 01/2002 | Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Behavioral Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University Boston, U.S.A. |
| 06/2000 – 01/2001 | Research Physician, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg |
Other Scientific Activities, Honors, Awards
- 2005 GlaxoSmithKline Award for research in the field of affective disorders
- Scientific Secretary, International Task Force on the Biological Treatment of Unipolar Depressive Disorders, World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP)
- Scientific Secretary, Sächsische Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Nervenheilkunde e.V. (SWGN)
- Treasurer, Dresdner Bündnis gegen Depression e.V.
- Vice head DGPPN section „Prevention of psychiatric disorders“
Selected Publications
Leopold, K., Ritter, P., Correll, C.U., Marx, C., Ozgürdal, S., Juckel, G., Bauer, M., Pfennig, A. (2011). Risk constellations prior to the development of bipolar disorders: Rationale of a new risk assessment tool. Journal of Affective Disorders. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.06.043
Ritter PS, Marx C, Bauer M, Leopold K, Pfennig A. (2011). The role of disturbed sleep in the early recognition of bipolar disorder: a systematic review. Bipolar Disorders, 13, (3), 227-37.
Pfennig, A., Schlattmann, P., Alda, M., Grof, P., Glenn, T., Müller-Oerlinghausen, B., Suwalska, A., Rybakowski, J., Willich, S.N., Bauer, M., Berghöfer, A. (2010). Influence of atypical features on the quality of prophylactic effectiveness of long-term lithium treatment in bipolar disorders. Bipolar Disorders, 12(4), 390-396.
Beesdo, K., Höfler, M., Leibenluft, E., Lieb, R., Bauer, M., Pfennig, A. (2009). Mood episodes and mood disorders: patterns of incidence and conversion in the first three decades of life. Bipolar Disorders, 11(6), 637-649
Berghöfer, A., Alda, M., Adli, M., Baethge, C., Bauer, M., Bschor, T., Glenn, T., Grof, P., Müller-Oerlinghausen, B., Rybakowski, J., Suwalska, A., Pfennig, A. (2008). Long-term effectiveness of lithium in bipolar disorder: a multicenter investigation of patients with typical and atypical features. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 69(12), 1860-1868.