Prof. Christian Schaaf
Professor Schaaf is the medical director and department chair of the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Heidelberg. He studies the genetic causes of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. His work led to the discovery of multiple new disease genes, and three disorders have been named after him: Schaaf-Yang syndrome, Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy syndrome, and Marbach-Schaaf Neurodevelopmental syndrome.
Professor Schaaf’s groundbreaking work has been recognized with many awards, including the William K. Bowes Award for Medical Genetics by Partners Healthcare and Harvard Medical School and the inaugural Seldin-Smith Award for Pioneering Research by the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Prof. Schaaf has authored four books, including a major textbook of medical genetics that has been translated into several languages. Professor Schaaf is the president of the German Academy for Human Genetics.
