Forschung

Wolf-Dieter Heiss hat sowohl experimentell als auch klinisch gearbeitet und dabei Ergebnisse der experimentellen Forschung auf die klinische Anwendung übertragen sowie klinische Fragestellungen im Tiermodell untersucht. Die Arbeiten, die nach Ausbildung und Tätigkeit an der Univ. Klinik für Neurologie in Wien und mehreren Auslandsaufenthalten am Max-Planck-Institut in Köln (1978-2005) und an der Klinik für Neurologie (1985-2005) ausgeführt wurden, konzentrierten sich auf die zerebrale Ischämie und den Schlaganfall sowie auf die Entwicklung bildgebender Verfahren zur Untersuchung von Hirnstoffwechsel und –funktion. In Verbindung dieser Arbeitsgebiete erforschte er die Überlebensfähigkeit des Gehirngewebes während Durchblutungsstörungen, die eine entscheidende Grundlage für die Entwicklung von Therapien des Schlaganfalls, z. B. der Thrombolyse, bildeten. Weitere Arbeitsgebiete betrafen Veränderungen unterschiedlicher Stoffwechselparameter bei Hirntumoren und Demenzen, die zur Verbesserung der Diagnose und Therapie dieser Erkrankungen beitrugen, sowie die funktionellen Aktivierungsmuster im Gehirn bei Gesunden und Patienten, die zum Verständnis von Defekten und von Kompensationsmechanismen wichtig sind.

Wolf-Dieter Heiss was involved in experimental and clinical neuroscience and has transferred results from experimental research into clinical application as well as tested clinical questions in animal models. His research activities, which after training and initial work at the Department of Neurology of the University of Vienna and several research appointments abroad were mainly performed at the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research (1978-2005) and at the Department of Neurology (1985-2005) in Cologne, were concentrated on cerebral ischemia and stroke and on the development of imaging modalities for investigations of brain metabolism and function. With these methods he studied the ability of the brain to survive blood flow disturbances, which became the essential basis for the development of effective therapy of stroke, e. g. thrombolysis. Further topics of research included various metabolic disturbances in brain tumors and in dementias, which improved diagnostic accuracy and treatment strategies, as well as patterns of functional activation in healthy controls and patients, which contributed to the understanding of deficits and of compensatory mechanisms.

Career

• since 2009 Adjunct Professor, Dept of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
• since 2005 Visiting Professor, Dept of Clinical Medicine and Prevention Medicine, Donau University Krems, Austria
• since 2005 Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany
• 1985-2005 Professor and Chairman of the Dept. of Neurology, University of Cologne, Germany
• since 1982 Scientific member of the Max Planck Society, Germany
• 1982-2005 Director of the Dept. of General Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany
• 1979 Assoc. Professor, University of Cologne, Germany
• 1978-1982 Head of the Cerebrovascular Research Unit of the Max Planck Institute of Brain Research, Germany; Director of the Dept. of Neurology of the Hospital Köln-Merheim, Germany
• 1976-1978 Assoc. Professor, University of Vienna, Austria
• 1974 Research Associate, Dept. of Neurology, State University of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA
• 1973 Board Certificate for Neurology, Psychiatry and Nuclear Medicine
• 1970-1978 Senior physician at the Dept. of Neurology of the University Hospital      
• 1970 Postdoctoral lecture qualification for Neurology
• 1968-1969 Post-doc at the Neurosensory Laboratory, State University NY, Buffalo, USA
• 1966 Institute of Physiology Veterinärhögskolan, Stockholm, Sweden
• 1965 Post-doc at the Dept. Of Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
• 1965 Graduation sub auspiciis presidentis at the University of Vienna, Austria
• 1958-1964 Medical studies, University of Vienna, Austria

Functions

• 2001-2005 Presidency, European Federation of Neurological Societies
• 1991-1995 Presidency, International Stroke Society
• Associate Editor of Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• Section Editor of the Journal Stroke
• Member of the advisory board of the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
• Member of the advisory board of the Journal Cerebrovascular Diseases
• Member of the advisory board of the European Journal of Neurology

Honours and Memberships

• 2012 David G. Sherman  Award
• 2011 Wepfer Award
• 2008 SVIN Pioneering Award
• 2008 WSO Leadership in Stroke Medicine Award
• 2008 Kuhl Lassen Award
• 2005 Von Hevesy Medal
• 2002 Berson Yalow Award Los Angeles
• 1999 Bergmann Plague
• 1999 Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• 1995 Mihara Price Tokyo
• 1994 Zülch Prize
• 1989 Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 1969 Eiselsberg Prize, Vienna, Austria