Our Research Team
Current team members
Dr. Belinda Platt (Group leader and Principle Investigator)
graduated in Psychology (2007) from the University of Nottingham (UK) and completed her MSc at the University of Oxford (2010) under the supervision of Prof. Keith Hawton. She completed her PhD in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford (2010-2013) under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Lau and Dr. Susannah Murphy. Since 2013 she has worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the LMU University Munich. Email: Belinda.Platt *at* med.uni-muenchen.de. Phone number: +49 89 4400 56932
Dr. Anca Sfärlea (Post-doctoral researcher and Co-PI)
graduated in Psychology from the University of Würzburg, Germany. She works primarily on the GENERAIN and KROKO studies and is co-applicant on the follow-up study GENERAIN-30. She submitted her doctoral thesis on emotion recognition and processing in adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa in 2017 and was since awarded a grant to follow-up this project. During her studies she completed internships at the Stanford Psychophysiology Laboratory (Stanford, USA) and the Max Plank Institute for Human Development (Berlin).
Email: Anca.Sfaerlea *at* med.uni-muenchen.de Phone number: +49 89 4400 55917
Tonya Frommelt
Tonya Frommelt (Doctoral candidate)
graduated in Psychology (2019) from the University of Queensland (Australia) and completed an MSc. in Clinical Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (2019-2021) at Ludwig- Maximilian University (Germany). During her studies at the University of Queensland she obtained a research scholarship at the university’s Neuropsychology Research Clinic and also completed an internship in a Visual Neuroscience Lab. She is currently working on a study of stress reactivity in children of depressed parents.
Svenja GeisslerSvenja Geissler (Doctoral candidate)
graduated in Psychology (2018) after studying at the University of Konstanz and Carleton University in Ottawa (Canada). She completed her Master’s degree at Ludwig-Maximillians University in Munich (LMU, 2020) and wrote her Master’s thesis on a multidisciplinary treatment approach for traumatized asylum seekers in cooperation with REFUGIO München. After graduating, she has been working as a research associate at both REFUGIO and for the pairfam-Panel at the the LMU. Svenja also works for the Munich division of the RECAP project at the LMU, co-leading psychoeducation groups for newly arrived asylum-seekers. Within the PRODO group, she is working as a research associate for the CHIMPS-NET study.
Leonie Bäumler (Doctoral candidate)
worked as an intern on the Prodo trial in 2016. Two years later she graduated in Psychology from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University and started medical school. During her studies she interned at different clinical facilities including the clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy in Munich (LMU) and Berlin (Charité) as well as JVA Munich and fulfilled a research internship at the institute for regenerative medicine from the University Zürich (Switzerland). She is currently working on her doctoral thesis in the CoCo project, a study of stress reactivity in children of depressed parents.
Patricia GrafPatricia Graf (Adult psychotherapist)
graduated in Psychology with a B.S from San Diego State University (2005) and a M.Sc. from the Ludwig-Maximillians University (2009). She worked as an intern (2008) and completed her Master Thesis at Harvard Medical School (2009). Since 2011, she has worked as a clinical psychologist in several clinics (Simssee Klinik, Psychiatrie der LMU, Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie) with a focus on cognitive-behavioral therapy and schema therapy. She currently works on the CHIMPS-net project running the GuG-Auf-Online intervention.
Christina Blomenhofer (Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist)
graduated with a BA in Social Work from KSFH Munich/Benediktbeuern (2012) and a M.A. in Health Care Management (2013) from the KSFH Munich. She worked as a social worker and therapist at JVA Nürnberg and JVA Munich. Since she completed her clinical training in cognitive-behavioral therapy (2019) she has been working as a psychotherapist with child and adolescent patients and their families. She had completed internships in several clinics (Heckscher Klinik, Rechts der Isar/ Ariadne e.V.- children consulation). She currently works on the CHIMPS-net project running the GuG-Auf-Online intervention.
Sophie Kölbl (Doctoral candidate)
graduated with an M.A. in Philosophy from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) and is currently studying medicine. During her studies she has completed internships in various clinics, including Dr. von Haunersches Kinderspital and Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychatrie (LMU). She is currently working on her MD/Dr. med. within the CHIMPS-net project where she's analysing interviews with families who participated in the GuG-Auf-Online intervention.
Gina SchoweGina Schowe (Research Assistant)
started her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität Munich in 2021 after finishing high school in Northern Germany and spending a year abroad in the US during that time. Gina is greatly interested to deepen her knowledge and acquire a more hands-on experience in the research group as she just freshly started her studies. She is working as a research assistant for the CoCo project.
Elisabeth Baranzew (Research Assistant)completed her dual study program with a B.A. in International Business Administration at DHBW Mosbach (2021) and then worked as a purchasing assistant in an international retail company. In 2022, she began her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Bamberg and is eager to expand her practical knowledge. She is currently a research assistant for the Polar Bear Project, which focuses on implementing a prevention program for children of parents with depression.
Lucy Mielke (Research Assistant)started her Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in 2021. Her studies have sparked her interest in the prevention of mental health disorders, which is why she wants to gain further practical experience and deepen her knowledge in the research group. She is currently working as a research assistant for the CHIMPS-net and Polar Bear projects.
Verona PircherVerona Pircher (Research Assistant)
Amelie AdolfAmelie Adolf (Research Assistant)
Lois Schaffler (Research Assistant)
CharlotteCharlotte Sumpf (Research Assistant)began her Bachelor's degree in Sociology with a minor in Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich in 2021. She spent a semester abroad at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and worked for MELESSA, an experimental lab for economic and social sciences. She is eager to learn more about the research process in a clinical context.
Alannah Booth (Masters student)
Petra Wagenbüchler (Study Nurse)
provides research assistance in all of the group's studies as well as a number of other projects in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the LMU Munich.
Carolina Silberbauer (Study Nurse)
provides research assistance in all of the group's studies as well as a number of other projects in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the LMU Munich since 2009. Being a Mom herself, she loves to be around kids and to support her colleagues with any help needed in their research work.
Christina Buhl (Trainee Psychiatrist)
graduated in Medicine from the Technische Universität München and is currently working on her MD/Dr. med. on the KROKO study. During her studies she interned in different treatment facilities for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy and has previous experience working as a Research Assistant at the Department of Psychology at University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Current interns
Lily Schneider
Eda Koc
Ada Özbey
Imanuel Köthnig
Sandra Bauer
Former Team Members
Marco Gaßner (Research Assistant)
Selma Reynartz (Research Assistant)
Laura Krätzschmar (Research Assistant)
Fenja Plab (Research Assistant)
Mariia Bashaeva (Medical Student)
Lea König (Research Assistant)
Petra Dengl (Research Assistant)
Dr. Maria Voß (Post-doctoral Researcher)
Angela Joder (Masters Student)
Benjamin Aas (Post-doctoral Researcher)
Milena Traykova (Research Assistant)
Vicky Vida (Research Assistant)
Vanessa Danzer (Doctoral Student)
Dr. Michael Frey (Collaborator "TADS-in" study)
Elisabeth Sojer (Masters student)
Dr. Johanna Löchner (Post-doctoral researcher)
Dr. Varinka Voigt (Post-Doctoral Researcher)
Dr. Kornelija Starman (Doctoral Student)
Dr. med. Alessandra Voggt (PRODO group leader)
Dr. med. Inga Wermuth (PRODO group leader)
Dr. med. Fabian Loy (PRODO group leader).
Dr. med. Stephanie Hämmerle (PRODO group leader)
Lina Engelmann (Research assistant and PRODO group leader)
Katharina Schmitt (Research Assistant and PRODO group leader)
Esther Dammer (Research Assistant and PRODO group leader)
Mirjam Bley (Research Assistant and PRODO group leader)
Sarah Tran-Huu (Research Assistant and PRODO group leader)
Ann-Sophie Störmann (Research Assistant; KROKO)
Laura Asperud Thomsen (Research Assistant; GENERAIN)
Jakob Neumüller (Research Assistant; GENERAIN)
Nathalie Claus (Research Assistant; PRODO)
Julia Heck (Research Assistant; PRODO)
Finja Gerlach (Research Assistant; GENERAIN-30)
Amanda Sommerhoff (Research Assistant; GENERAIN-30)
Michaela Schenke (Study Nurse)
Veronika Jäger (Study Nurse)
Former interns
Melina Andronie (August - October 2015)
Lisa Berman-Wendel (August - September 2015)
Jeanette Tamm (October - September 2015)
Markus Königs (October 2015 - July 2016)
Leonie Bäumler (March - April 2016)
Claudia Werner (June - September 2016)
Sandra Thiele (June - September 2016)
Nathalie Claus (September - October 2016)
Liliana Lelek (October 2016 - January 2017)
Theresa Tremmel (October 2016 - January 2017)
Julia Deutlmoser (January - March 2017)
Andrea Hauslbauer (February - April 2017)
Anna Wagner (February - April 2017)
Susanne Rockinger (July - August 2017)
Katharina Häuser (July - September 2017)
Angelina Mooseder (September - October 2017)
Dana Winogradow (September 2017 - March 2018)
Kirsten Moser (March - May 2018)
Benedikt Kirchebner (August - December 2018)
Julia Hummel (February - April 2019)
Moritz Dannert (May - August 2016)
Ann-Sophie Störmann (August 2016 - September 2017)
Jakob Neumüller (February - April 2017)
Maja Brömmelhaus (March 2017)
Marie Schmidt (July 2020 - September 2020)
Tonya Frommelt (February 2020 - October 2020)
Cara Krudewig (September 2020 - January 2021)
Anna Steinicke (2020-2021)
Svenja Ehrhardt (September 2021 - Dezember 2021)
Sophia Zachan (Dezember - Januar 2021/2022)
Havva Camci (April - August 2022)
Jacqueline Kramer (February - September 2022)
Maria Essmann (June - November 2022)
Havva Camci (July - August 2022)
Melanie Brandes (September - October 2022)
Eva Victoria Seegenschmiedt (Nov 2022 - March 2023)
Lucy Mielke (March - May 2023)
Ada Özbey (April - July 2023)
Naoual Fettach (May-July 2023)
Franziska Auer (August-September 2023)
Samuel Sauter
Maximilian Zahler
Gil Keller
