P13. UKA
Introduction of the organization
As a maximum-care teaching hospital, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen (UKA) offers first-class medicine with a human face. Bundling patient care, research, and teaching under one roof—a concept that is unique both architecturally and in terms of organisation—facilitates intensive interdisciplinary dialogue and a dense clinical and scientific network. The UKA is involved in ProtAct-US with two departments spanning interdisciplinary collaboration.
The Clinic for Orthopaedics, Trauma, and Reconstructive Surgery treats all injuries and wear-related and congenital diseases of the bones and musculoskeletal system. In the event of an accident, our clinic has a proven focus on fast and competent treatment of patients of all ages with injuries of all degrees of severity.
Clinical and experimental research focuses on the regeneration and reconstruction of musculoskeletal tissues, including bone, cartilage, tendons and muscles, as well as the bone-cartilage and tendon-bone-enthesis interfaces and biomechanical topics. In cell biology, molecular biological (e.g. gene therapy, RNA-based transcript therapy, miRNA regulation) and cell-analytical (e.g. stem cells, differentiation, cell-biomaterial interaction, mechanobiology) methods and procedures are used on the one hand. On the other hand, in biomechanical research, engineering and sports science approaches (e.g. computer-based modeling and simulation) and movement analysis methods are used.
The Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics is the largest inpatient department at and focuses primarily on biological psychiatry, i.e., the links between mental illness and biological causes and correlates. For example, the clinic is currently leading a special research area on transdiagnostic studies of impulsivity and aggression (DFG SFB TRR 379).
Role in the project
In ProtAct-Us, the Clinic for Orthopaedics, Trauma, and Reconstructive Surgery has various tasks and is represented in many work packages. This begins with the statistical analysis of physiological and psychological long-term consequences based on accident data and ends with the transfer into biomechanical models to prevent these long-term consequences of accidents. Together with the project partners, we are working on countermeasures to reduce the risk of long-term consequences for all road users.
The Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, on the other hand, focuses on long-term consequences in relation to mental health, in particular on mental illnesses such as depression and PTSD or long-lasting concentration disorders with potentially serious effects on quality of life due to traffic accidents.