The department "Clinical Epidemiology" conducts epidemiological studies on clinically and public health-relevant questions. The primary focus of the department is on the utilization and safety of drugs in real-world healthcare as well as on the early detection and prevention of cancer.
A pivotal data base of the department is the Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database GePaRD (see below).

The research areas of the department can be classified into three areas, also reflected in the departmental structure.

• Monitoring of Drug Utilization and Safety: In this research area, we conduct studies on the utilization and safety of new drugs after approval (so-called Post-Approval Safety Studies, abbreviated PAS studies), i.e., in the real-world healthcare setting. In addition, we address further emgerging topics on drug utilization and safety of major public health relevance.
• Pharmacoepidemiology in Vulnerable Groups: Research in this area addresses questions of drug utilization and safety in pregnant women, children, older adults, and individuals with chronic diseases. Because these groups of individuals are often excluded or underrepresented in clinical trials, observational studies are particularly important to expand the scientific state of knowledge in this area.
• Translational Cancer Epidemiology: In Germany, more than 480,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year and more than 230,000 people die from cancer. The vast potential of cancer prevention and early detection is currently not exploited. This research area therefore focuses on the evaluation and improvement of existing cancer screening programs and on the implementation of prevention measures on the population level.
   

We work closely with the Department of Biometry and Data Management on all projects based on GePaRD. Within the interdepartmental working group GeTTCausal (GePaRD & Target Trials for Causal Inference), we bring together the expertise of the institute in the field of clinical epidemiology, causal inference, and the analysis of German health claims data. We aim to address important causal questions in the field of drug safety and cancer screening based on GePaRD using the "target trial emulation" (TTE) approach.

GePaRD

The German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database (GePaRD) was established by BIPS and is continuously maintained and expanded. GePaRD is based on claims data from four statutory health insurance providers in Germany and currently includes information on approximately 25 million persons who have been insured with one of the participating providers since 2004 or later. GePaRD covers all geographic regions of Germany and includes approximately 20% of the German general population. Further information on GePaRD can be found here.

Bremen Cancer Registry

The Bremen Cancer Registry is a clinical-epidemiological cancer registry, in which data on the incidence, therapy, and course of cancer of all cancer patients diagnosed and/or treated in the Federal State of Bremen are recorded and analyzed. Further information on the Bremen Cancer Registry can be found here.

Bremen Mortality Index

The Bremen Mortality Index (BreMI) is a database containing information on all deceased persons as of January 1, 1998 with first residence in the Federal State of Bremen. The information recorded in the database includes all entries on the death certificates. Further information on the Bremen Mortality Index can be found here.

Ulrike Haug
Head of Department
(Deputy Scientific Director)

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Haug
Tel: +49 (0)421 218-56862
Fax: +49 (0)421 218-56821

Email:
haug(at)leibniz-bips.de

• Monitoring of Drug Utilization and Safety
• Pharmacoepidemiology in Vulnerable Groups
• Translational Cancer Epidemiology

• GePaRD
• Bremen Cancer Registry
• Bremen Mortality Index