Kerstin Maehder

Kerstin Maehder is a researcher at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy within the Medical Faculty of University of Hamburg. Her work focuses on the intersection of mental health and somatic conditions, particularly examining collaborative care models for patients with mental disorders in primary care settings.

Her research interests center on psychosomatic medicine, with specific expertise in somatic symptom disorders, mental health care models, and the psychological aspects of chronic medical conditions including liver diseases and gastrointestinal disorders. She has conducted extensive research on the COMET study examining collaborative and stepped care models for mental disorders in German primary care, as well as the SOMA.LIV and SOMA.COV frameworks investigating psychological aspects of chronic liver conditions and Long COVID.

Dr. Maehder's publications demonstrate a strong focus on both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, with particular emphasis on patient experiences, treatment effectiveness, and implementation science. Her research often examines the integration of mental health services within somatic medical care settings, addressing critical gaps in comprehensive patient care.

Her scientific contributions include numerous publications on collaborative care models, somatic symptom disorders, and the psychological aspects of chronic conditions including primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and Long COVID. She has been actively involved in multiple large-scale research initiatives including the Hamburg City Health Study.

Dr. Maehder has supervised numerous research projects examining the relationship between mental health and somatic conditions, with particular focus on collaborative care implementation, patient experiences with chronic illnesses, and the development of integrated treatment approaches. Her work has contributed significantly to understanding the psychological dimensions of chronic medical conditions and improving mental health service delivery within somatic care settings.