DeutschCarsten Watzl is the new Chairperson of the DRFZ Scientific Advisory Board
On 20th September 2022, Carsten Watzl (Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors Dortmund (IfADo)) was elected as the new Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the DRFZ. Christopher Buckley (Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and University of Birmingham, UK) and Kimme Hyrich (University of Manchester, UK) also join the Scientific Advisory Board.
Carsten Watzl, SAB Chairperson
Carsten Watzl has been Scientific Director of the Immunology Research Unit of the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors Dortmund (IfADo) since 2011, having first studied, obtained his doctorate and habilitated at the University of Heidelberg. In 2006, he received an extraordinary professorship from the University of Heidelberg, as well as being awarded various prizes for his outstanding research work, including the Robert Koch Postdoctoral Award 2003, the BioFuture Award 2004 and the Klaus-Georg and Sigrid Hengstberger Award of the University of Heidelberg. Carsten Watzl has been involved with the German Society for Immunology (DGfI) for many years, including being Secretary General of the society since 2013. During the pandemic, he also became known to the general public through his YouTube channel “Watzl Weekly”: Immunology Updates and numerous interviews on the topic of COVID-19 and vaccination.
Christopher Buckley, SAB Member
Christopher Buckley holds a joint position as Director of Clinical Research at the Kennedy Institute in Oxford and Director of NIHR Infrastructure for Birmingham Heath Partners, where he leads the Arthritis Therapy Acceleration Programme (A-TAP). His research interests include exploring the role of fibroblasts in driving disease progression and tissue tropism in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Christopher Buckley obtained a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, then went on to study Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital in London before specialising in General Medicine and Rheumatology. He has made significant contributions to the rheumatology field through his roles with Arthritis Research UK (Chair of the Fellowship Committee) and with EULAR (Scientific Program Committee), to name just a few of his many activities. He has received several awards for his extraordinary commitment, e.g. Eijkman Lecture and Medal (2001) University of Utrecht, Netherlands, Michael Mason Prize (2003) British Society for Rheumatology, and Herberden Oration (2017) British Society for Rheumatology.
Kimme Hyrich, SAB Member
Kimme Hyrich is Professor of Epidemiology in the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis and a Consultant Rheumatologist in the Kellgren Centre for Rheumatology at Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The focus of her research is primarily on short- and long-term outcomes in inflammatory arthritis with a particular emphasis on pharmacoepidemiology. Kimme Hyrich obtained her Bachelors of Science and medical degree at the University of Manitoba in Canada, followed by training in internal medicine in Winnipeg, Canada and a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Toronto. She was awarded her PhD in 2005 from the University of Manchester, UK. Kimme Hyrich is a member of various committees and organizations such as the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR), including being PI of the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register (BSRBR), as well as being a member of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh), to name a few. She is also the joint lead of the EULAR COVID database.
