Professor Dr Heyo K. Kroemer

Research Priorities: Interactions between pharmaceutical drugs, transport and metabolisation of pharmaceutical substances, drug targeting, health informatics
Heyo Klaus Kroemer is a German pharmacist and pharmacologist whose research priorities lie in the fields of pharmacology, toxicology, and personalised medicine. He made meaningful contributions to the development and application of pharmaceutical drugs, in particular in relation to the interactions between medicines and biological systems. Additionally, he is an expert in health informatics and medical training and continuing education.
Heyo Kroemer researches drug targeting and has studied the effects and interactions as well as the transport and metabolic problems of pharmaceutical drugs. Particularly when it comes to cardiovascular conditions and tumours, patients frequently take multiple medications simultaneously. This increases the patient’s risk of dangerous drug interactions which can potentially be life-threatening. Studying the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medical drugs is a central aspect of Heyo Kroemer’s work. Here, he is particularly focused on the metabolisation of medications and their impact on effectiveness and safety. His work has not only deepened the understanding of drug effects, but also supported the practical applications in clinical practise. Heyo Kroemer has also researched the role of genetic factors in drug therapy, which contributed to the development of personalised therapy approaches.
In pursuit of the goal of optimising diagnostics and therapy, he works to merge data from doctor’s and hospital visits with research data. This requires attention to be paid to ethical, legal, and social questions. This is particularly the case in relation to the question of whom the health data belongs to, as many technological developments take place in the private sector.
Heyo Kroemer is also an active participant in academic teaching and the support of young scientists. He is a proponent of increasing the inclusion of information technology into medical training. He has also examined the funding of research, teaching, and patient care and achieved improved financing for university outpatient clinics.
As the chairperson of the Charité Board of Directors, Heyo Kroemer is responsible for the Board’s strategic alignment in light of the increasing pressure to change in Germany’s healthcare system. The most important topics covered in his first term included the integration of the Berlin Institute of Health (BHI) and of the German Heart Centre of the Charité (DHZC) into Berlin’s university medical system in 2021 and 2023 respectively.