Draft:Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann

Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann is a German physician and university professor. She is the head of the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Medical Faculty at the University of Augsburg and the chief physician of the University Outpatient Clinic for Environmental Medicine at the University Hospital of Augsburg as well as the director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Helmholtz Munich. Her research and clinical activity focuses on the prevention and treatment of diseases influenced by environmental factors, especially allergies and atopic dermatitis (atopic eczema), and their molecular principles. Also, the impact of climate change on health and building resilience to climate change, the development of personalized medicine and "Pandemic Preparedness" are emphases in her career and work.

Career

Traidl-Hoffmann studied medicine at the RWTH Aachen from 1989-1996. Throughout her studies, she was supported by the Trilux Lenze Foundation for the Promotion of Gifted Students.  In 1997, Traidl-Hoffmann received her doctorate (summa cum laude) for her dissertation on the development and application of new molecular medical methods for mutation analysis of human pathogenic papillomaviruses (HPV). From 1999 to 2001, Traidl-Hoffmann conducted research at the Istituto Dermopatico dell'immacolata, supported by a DFG scholarship in Rome. Her habilitation in the field of dermatology and venereology took place in 2004 at the TU Munich. The topic of her habilitation was “Ekzem und Allergie: Mechanismen und Einflussfaktoren“ (“Eczema and allergy: mechanisms and influencing factors”). In 2006, she obtained a teaching license in dermatology and venereology and two years later in the field of allergology. From 2001-2009, Traidl-Hoffmann worked as an assistant physician in the Department of Dermatology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and was appointed an assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology and Allergology in 2010. From 2010 to 2013, she was the senior physician of the Diagnostic Laboratory for Lyme disease, neurodermatitis and psoriasis at the Department of Dermatology of TUM.  Additionally, she was the Dermatological Director of the Interdisciplinary HIV Centre at Klinikum rechts der Isar (IZAR), TUM from 2011 to 2013. In 2013, Traidl-Hoffmann was chosen to be the director of Environmental Medicine at TUM, which was relocated to Augsburg as part of the UNIKA-T (Universitäres Zentrum für Gesundheitswissenschaften am Klinikum Augsburg) and in the following year, in 2014, Traidl-Hoffmann began managing the University Outpatient Clinic for Environmental Medicine at University Hospital of Augsburg. Dr. Traidl-Hoffmann's directorship was transferred to the University of Augsburg to the newly established Medical Faculty in Augsburg in 2021. Prior to that, in 2015, she was appointed director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IEM) at Helmholtz Munich - German Research Centre for Environmental Health (HMGU).

Also, in 2013, Traidl-Hoffmann became a member of the Board of Directors of CK CARE and has been its spokesperson since 2020. From 2017 to 2022, Traidl-Hoffmann was Deputy Director at ZIEL - Institute for Food & Health, Weihenstephan at TUM. In 2021, together with Prof. Torsten Zuberbier and Prof. Thomas Werfel, she published the volume "Allergic Diseases - From Basic Mechanisms to Comprehensive Management and Prevention", an overview on allergy from molecular mechanisms of trigger factors to therapy, prevention, and education.

Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann is a member of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI), the European Acadamy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the Collegium Internationale Allergologicum (CIA), the German Dermatological Society (DDG), and the European Dermatology Forum (EDF). She is also the co-editor of the journal Allergy.

Personal Engagement - Climate Change and Health Resilience

Dr. Traidl-Hoffmann is committed to raising awareness of allergic diseases and the impact of climate change on health and to building resilience against all kinds of environmental factors and extreme weather events. In 2019, the United Nations (UN) accepted and recognized a paper titled "Air pollution and Health" written by Traidl-Hoffmann and collaborators and adapted the findings as an official guideline. Dr. Traidl-Hoffmann is also involved in KLUG - Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit e.V. (German Climate Change and Health Alliance) as well as in the continued education of physicians focussing on allergies, health and the connection with the climate crisis. In 2021, she authored the book "Überhitzt - Die Folgen des Klimawandels für unsere Gesundheit" (Overheated - the consequences of climate change for our health). In 2021, she co-founded the Centre for Climate Resilience at the University of Augsburg and is now one of its deputy directors. In 2022, she spoke at the climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Additionally, Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann also is an advisor for German politicians. The Department of Environmental Medicine is a participating organization in the LAGiK (Bavarian State Working Group on Health Protection in Climate Change). Furthermore, Traidl-Hoffmann was appointed a member of the Commission "Environmental Public Health" of the RKI in 2022 and in 2023, she was requested to join the scientific advisory council of the German Federal Government German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). She was also appointed a Special Representative for Climate Resilience and Prevention within the Competence Centre for Health Protection in Climate Change at the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety in 2023.

Current Fields of Research

• Allergic diseases and effects of environmental factors on allergic diseases and neurodermatitis
• Investigation of the skin microbiome and the interactions between microbiome and skin cells
• Investigating the transmissibility of viral diseases and predicting the course of infections such as COVID-19 or allergies by identifying biomarkers

• Impact of environmental pollution and climate change on health and strengthening prevention and resilience, e.g. by developing appropriate digital tools
• Development of data science tools

Honors and Awards

• 2020: EACCI Fellow
• 2018: DGAKI Research Award for the paper "Altunbulakli et al. JACI 2018"
• 2015: Oskar Gans Award, German Dermatological Society, DDG
• 2011: PhARF Award, Honorable Mention as a candidate
• 2006: Allergopharma Award

Scientific Publications (selection)

• Isabelle Beck, Susanne Jochner, Stefanie Gilles, Mareike McIntyre, Jeroen T. M. Buters, Carsten Schmidt-Weber, Heidrun Behrendt, Johannes Ring, Annette Menzel, Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann: . In: . Band 8, Nr. 11, 20. November 2013, ISSN 1932-6203, S. e80147, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080147, PMID 24278250, PMC 3835901 (freier Volltext) – (plos.org [abgerufen am 23. Februar 2024]).