Dietmar Winkler receives professional title of "University Professor"

The professional title of "university professor" is awarded to outstanding representatives of their profession. In order to be awarded the title, it is essential to have made special contributions to independent research after completing a postdoctoral qualification, to have made special contributions in the field of scientific research and teaching, to have put scientific findings into practice, and to have carried out scientific activities that are recognised nationally and internationally.

Dietmar Winkler has earned an excellent reputation at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy through his clinical and scientific expertise. As head of the outpatient clinic for dementia and memory disorders and deputy head of the outpatient clinic for seasonal affective disorders, he plays a key role in specialised care in Vienna. In addition, he is senior physician in charge of the acute psychiatric ward 04B and, since 2025, has held comprehensive management responsibility as 2nd deputy head of the Clinical Division of General Psychiatry.

Winkler's scientific focus is on biological psychiatry. His research interests include psychopharmacology, chronobiology (especially seasonal affective disorder and light therapy) and dementia. His scientific oeuvre comprises over 225 articles in scientific journals (h-index: 36). His work combines clinical research with modern imaging techniques to better understand the pathophysiological basis of mental illness and optimise treatment options. In teaching, he is involved as coordinator for the Clinical Practical Year (KPJ) in psychiatry at MedUni Vienna.

Dietmar Winkler was born in Klagenfurt in 1976 and studied medicine at the University of Vienna, where he received his doctorate "sub auspiciis Praesidentis rei publicae" in 2001. After completing his specialist training in psychiatry at MedUni Vienna, he also acquired the title of additional specialist in geriatrics and further diplomas, including in palliative medicine. In 2006, he qualified as a professor with a thesis on "Chronobiology and psychopathology of affective disorders". A research stay took him to the renowned King's College & Maudsley Hospital in London as a visiting researcher in 2012. Dietmar Winkler has received numerous awards for his scientific achievements, including prizes from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) and the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP). He is active in numerous professional associations, including the Austrian Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (ÖGPP) and the Austrian Society for Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry (ÖGPB).