Volker Hess

Prof. Dr. Volker Hess is a leading academic at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, where he serves as Head of the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine. He has been a Professor of the History of Medicine at Humboldt University since 2001 and has directed the Institute since summer 2004. Additionally, he teaches Modern History at Humboldt University’s Institute of History.

• Research focuses on Medical Practices, Psychiatry, and Biological Drug Regulation.
• Editor of the Journal of Medical History and multiple book series.
• Recipient of prestigious ERC Advanced Investigator Grant (2011) and ERC Synergy Grant (2019).
• Leadership roles in collaborative projects like DRUGS (2006-13), Cultures of Madness (2009-15), and Normal#Crazy (2023-25).

His research explores the cultural history of psychiatry, GDR-era drug development, and post-war medical ethics. Key projects include Testing in the East (GDR-West pharmaceutical collaboration) and Taming the European Leviathan (post-WWII medical legacy).

Scientific Awards:

• ERC Advanced Investigator Grant (2011) for reconstructing medical knowledge practices.
• ERC Synergy Grant (2019) for transnational post-war medical history.

Volker Hess has extensive editorial and collaborative experience, including co-editing Case and Series: Medical Knowledge and Paper Technology (2010) and leading DFG research groups on Gender as a Category of Knowledge (2005-14).