From Harvard to BIPS: Konrad Stopsack takes over as head of department
Stopsack: “It is impressive how BIPS has developed into a leading institute in the field of epidemiology, which is still a young discipline in Germany, in just a few decades.”
“I am very pleased that we have been able to win Konrad Stopsack as a worthy successor to Wolfgang Ahrens,” says Prof. Dr. Iris Pigeot, Director of BIPS. She adds: “The fact that he has chosen BIPS despite his successful career at Harvard shows the importance of our institute in the global research landscape. Konrad Stopsack's fresh perspective on epidemiology and his new ideas will enrich the institute. My special thanks also go to Wolfgang Ahrens, whose tireless efforts have made BIPS an outstanding address in the international research community.”
Prof. Stopsack brings a remarkable career in research and teaching. After studying medicine at the University of Freiburg, he earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) in biostatistics and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. His training also includes a residency in internal medicine at the renowned Mayo Clinic and a postdoctoral training in cancer epidemiology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Until the end of October 2024, he was an assistant professor at both Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Prof. Stopsack's research is interdisciplinary and aims to understand the causes of chronic diseases in order to enable prevention programs. His fundamental goal is to identify and better characterize modifiable risk factors. Much of this work also uses genetic and molecular measurements. A particular focus is on prostate cancer and precancerous conditions such as clonal hematopoiesis. He is also further developing epidemiological working methods to collect and analyze study data in a more reproducible and efficient way. He combines this methodological precision with a practical approach, always with the aim of better understanding diseases and providing implementation research with the best possible evidence to then develop effective prevention strategies. In doing so, he is particularly interested in data collection, as implemented in the field work in his new department or in the BIPS BioBank.
“I see BIPS as something very special,” says Stopsack about his decision to come to Bremen from Boston. ”It is one of the few places where it is possible to help shape all facets of epidemiological research - from high-quality data collection and data processing to implementation research.” He was particularly impressed by the versatility of BIPS and the holistic approach – as well as the enthusiasm of the staff for the topic. “It is impressive how BIPS has developed into a leading institute in the field of epidemiology, which is a very young field in Germany, in just a few decades,” he says. Despite moving to Bremen, Prof. Stopsack will remain associated with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology, where he teaches the course on cancer prevention. He would like to establish close cooperation with his Boston colleagues.
For the future, Stopsack has set himself the goal of investigating current issues in existing cohort studies and setting up new prospective cohort studies at BIPS. “I am particularly interested in approaches that consider early life and the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases in a broader context. The insights gained from this research can make a decisive contribution to preventing diseases and promoting health in the long term,” says Prof. Stopsack. With this vision, he wants to set new impulses at BIPS and further expand the research program on the prevention of chronic diseases.
BIPS – Health research for the benefit of mankind
The population is at the center of our research. As an epidemiological research institute, we see our task in identifying the causes of health disorders and developing new concepts for the prevention of diseases. Our research provides a basis for societal 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 institutions. The orientation of the Leibniz Institutes ranges from natural, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance. Due to their national importance, the institutes of the Leibniz Association are jointly funded by the federal and state governments.The Leibniz Institutes employ approximately 20,000 people, including 10,000 scientists. The institutes' total budget is more than 1.9 billion euros.