Benno Haarman

Dr. Benno Haarman is an Assistant Professor and Psychiatrist at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Medical Sciences, serving as Head of the Mood and Anxiety Disorder Program at the University Medical Center Groningen's Department of Psychiatry. His work bridges clinical practice and research, focusing on bipolar disorder, neuroinflammation, and innovative treatments like DBS and chronotherapy. He earned his PhD (cum laude) in 2017 for pioneering neuroinflammation PET imaging studies in bipolar patients, winning the Samuel Gershon Award (2013).

Education: Medical Doctorate (University of Antwerp, 2006), PhD (University of Groningen, 2017). Research emphasizes gut-brain axis interactions, immune modulation therapies, and precision psychiatry. Leads national protocols for rTMS in depression and pioneered DBS for OCD in the Netherlands. Active in patient advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Research Themes: Neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders, neuromodulation therapies, gut-brain axis, chronobiological interventions.

Key Achievements: Largest probiotics RCT in severe mental illnesses, PET imaging for DBS outcome prediction in OCD, and clinical implementation of rTMS/DBS protocols. Over 90 peer-reviewed publications, including high-impact reviews in Nutrients and Molecular Psychiatry.

Awards: Samuel Gershon Award (2013), Van Swinderen Prize Nominee (2017), Willem Nolen Prize Nominee (2017/2018).

Grants & Mentorship: Principal investigator on multiple grants; mentors PhD students/residents in translational psychiatry. Collaborates internationally on bipolar disorder and neuroinflammation research.