Univ.-Prof. em. Dr. med. Barbara Griefahn

Academic background

• 1990 Full professor for Environmental Physiology and Occupational Medicine at IfADo
• 1989 Appointment / Professorship, Medical Faculty of Duesseldorf University
• 1984 Lecture Qualification, Medical Faculty of Duesseldorf University
• 1971 M.D. at Bochum University, Clinical Centre Essen
• 1972–1990 Research assistant, since 1975 senior scientist at Essen University, Mainz University, Duesseldorf University

Research interests

with a view to performance, well-being and health risks

• chronobiology (shift work)
• environment-related sleep disturbances
• physical stress (noise, vibrations, EMF, climate)

Current research

• Field of research "Night work"
  (Barbara Griefahn, Sibylle Robens, Peter Bröde) (research group Chronobiology)
  This research area focuses on the control of physiological rhythms by the hormone melatonin, on the individual ability to perform shift work and on the possibility to accelerate the adaptation to night work by bright light as well as the resulting risks for health. (more ...).
• Field of research "Sleep disturbances related to environmental influences"
  (Barbara Griefahn, Anke Marks, Peter Bröde) (research group Chronobiology)
  Disturbances of sleep and impairments of mood and performance are increasingly often caused by environmental influences, particularly by night work and by transportation noise. As both reasons coincide in case of night work and are expected to increase in the forthcoming years and as these disturbances are suspected to contribute to the genesis of cardiovascular diseases, research is focused on (light-induced acceleration of) the physiological adjustment to night work and the effects on sleep including the consequences for performance and mood.
• Field of research "Noise effects"
  (Martin Schütte, Barbara Griefahn) (research group Physical environment)
  Irrelevant noises that are not related to the actual activity impair performance, mood and physiological functions and are suspected, to contribute eventually to the genesis of cardiovascular diseases. Of particular significance is the increasing transportation noise, that affects the quality of life of residents living along busy transportation routes (roads, railway tracks) and that impairs performance of employees who perform mental work in bureaus exposed to transportation noise (more ...).
• Field of research "Thermophysiological aspects of work"
  (Peter Bröde, Barbara Griefahn, Martin Schütte) (research group Physical environment)
  A thermally stressful micro climate for the user arises from the interactive effects of physical work and climatic (heat) stress with protective clothing, which interferes with the heat exchange of the body and its environment. The present research uses data from laboratory experiments to develop and validate models describing the heat and the moisture transfer through protective clothing. These models are applied in the assessment of physiological strain, thermal comfort and integrated in a universal thermal climate index (UTCI).
• Intergroup research initiative "Annoyance of sensorially mediated environmental stimuli"
  (Barbara Griefahn, Christoph van Thriel) (research group Chronobiology, research group Physical environment, research group Neurobehavioural toxicology and chemosensation)
  Physical and chemical environmental factors can cause a feeling of acute annoyance or, in the long run, even a state of chronic annoyance. This research initiative was started at the end of 2005 and aims at evaluation and comparison of acute annoyance caused by noise and odours. Based on the findings a perceptive/cognitive model will be designed to identify specific modality-related and unspecific moderators of the experienced acute annoyance. (more ...).

Teaching

• seminar: Methods and results in ergonomics and occupational medicine, Technical University Dortmund (winter term 2008/2009, summer term 2009, winter term 2009/2010)

Boards and committees

• WHO-representative of the institute
• Past President of the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN)
• Co-ordination of research on the effects of noise within the research network 'Quiet traffic'

Review activities

• Arbeitsmedizin Sozialmedizin Umweltmedizin
• ErgoMed
• Ergonomics
• International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
• International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
• Journal of Sound and Vibration
• Noise & Health
• Somnologie

• Application for support (USA (SERDP), UK (St. Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Charitable Foundation Research Advisory Board), NL (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Germany: BWPlus)
• Quality assessment of current research programs (RDF – Regionales Dialogforum)
• Research institutes

Josef-Rutenfranz-Medaille 2010

Joseph-Rutenfranz-Medaille für Frau Prof. Dr. Barbara Griefahn verliehen auf der 50. Jahrestagung der DGAUM in Dortmund (mehr...)