Prof. Dr. Hajo Zeeb takes over as Chairman of the German Society for Public Health
Zeeb: "There are currently many topics in the field of public health that we as a society want to actively and constructively support."
"I am very pleased to take on this important task," said Zeeb after his election. "There are currently many issues in the field of public health that we want to actively and constructively support as a society. These range from the challenges of the climate crisis to the organization of the new nationwide Public Health Institute."
The DGPH is a professional organization dedicated to the promotion of public health care in Germany. It brings together experts from various fields of health science and practice to support research, education and policy-making in the field of public health. The DGPH is committed to improving the health conditions of the population by promoting evidence-based measures and strategies for prevention and health promotion.
Hajo Zeeb received his doctorate from RWTH Aachen University and worked for several years as a doctor in German and English clinics before moving to Namibia for three years as a Medical Officer. After completing a Master's degree in Public Health at the University of Heidelberg, he then worked at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg and later at the University of Bielefeld. There he was involved in numerous epidemiological studies and was active in teaching, particularly in the Master of Science in Epidemiology.
At the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Hajo Zeeb worked in the Public Health and Environment Department before moving to the Institute of Medical Biometry, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI) at Mainz University Hospital in 2006. Hajo Zeeb is a member of various professional organizations (e.g. International Epidemiological Association, German Society for Epidemiology) and has also been active for many years in working groups and committees of the German Federal Commission on Radiological Protection. He is a member of the German delegation to UNSCEAR and has also been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine since 2021.
Hajo Zeeb is particularly interested in evidence-based public health. His research focuses on evidence-based prevention and evaluation of chronic diseases as well as epidemiological research on the health of migrants. Research on radiation epidemiology is carried out with partners at Nagasaki University in Japan, among others.
Hajo Zeeb is co-spokesperson of the Health Sciences research focus at the University of Bremen. As spokesperson of the Board of Directors, he has headed the Leibniz ScienceCampus Digital Public Health Bremen since 2019.
The BIPS - health research in the service of people
The population is at the center of our research. As an epidemiological research institute, we see it as our task to identify the causes of health disorders and develop new concepts for the prevention of diseases. Our research provides the basis for social decisions. It informs the population about health risks and contributes to a healthy living environment.
BIPS is a member of the Leibniz Association, which comprises 96 independent research institutes. The focus of the Leibniz Institutes ranges from the natural, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes are dedicated to socially, economically and ecologically relevant issues. Due to their national importance, the federal and state governments jointly fund the institutes of the Leibniz Association. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 20,000 people, including 10,000 scientists. The total budget of the institutes is more than 1.9 billion euros.