Norbert Pfeiffer

Age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma are two important eye diseases that increase exponentially with age, affecting one third and one fourth of the aged population, respectively. Thus, they cause individual suffering and enormous strain on health and social systems.

At the Department of Ophthalmology of the Mainz University Medical Centre, we strive to identify both risk factors and protective factors for eye diseases, namely age-related  macular degeneration and glaucoma. We found characteristic proteomic and autoantibody changes not only in affected patients, but also in persons who have risk factors but do not develop the disease, suggesting differential vulnerability. We employed translational approaches using epidemiological research (Gutenberg Health Study), clinical stenotyping and basic biomedical research to reveal both risk factors and protective factors.

At present Norbert Pfeiffer is the Chief Executive Officer of Mainz University Medical Centre Germany and the head of department of Ophthalmology.

Research website

Positions held

• Since 2017: Chief Executive Officer, Mainz University Medical Centre, Germany
• 2014: Vice Medical Officer, Mainz University Medical Centre, Germany
• 1996: Head of Department of Ophthalmology, Mainz University Medical Centre, Germany
• 2012: Member of Leopoldina, Germany
• 2000-2016: Fachkollegiat of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Education

• 1992: Habilitation
• 1990: Specialist in Ophthalmology
• 1985: Promotion to Dr. med. (summa cum laude)
• 1982-1985: Assistant Scientist, Department of Pharmacology, Freiburg University