Monique Breteler, Director of Population Health Research and head of the Rhineland Study, was recently accepted as a new member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Corona conditionally, Breteler did not receive the membership certificate on site during an "evening lecture" in Halle, but by mail.
The neuroepidemiologist, who works at the DZNE site Bonn, is researching the causes of neurodegenerative diseases and the foundations for healthy ageing. Her focus is on examining the changes in the brain in the course of life. Breteler has made a significant contribution to understanding Alzheimer's as a complex and heterogeneous disease and contributes with her research to the development of prevention strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.
With the Rhineland Study she is leading one of the most detailed population studies worldwide. The study has been running since 2016 and is intended to examine the health development of up to 30,000 adults on a regular basis - over years and decades.
The native Dutchwoman has been a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) since 2015. She was appointed by the Leopoldina to the so-called Class III (medicine).
Background info Leopoldina
The German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina, founded in 1652, is a classic scholarly society with around 1,600 members from almost all scientific disciplines. It was appointed Germany's National Academy of Sciences in 2008. In this function, it has two special tasks: representing German science abroad and advising politicians and the public.
Classes and sections form the scientific working framework of the Leopoldina. All members of the Academy are organised in 28 sections according to their field of research, which in turn are assigned to four classes. This grouping into classes, introduced in 2009, promotes interdisciplinary discussion and the participation of members in the Academy's work.