Ulf Kallweit

Daytime sleepiness and fatigue affect at least 10 to 25% of the population. They can occur as primary sleep disorders (e.g. narcolepsy, hypersomnia), in the context of neurological, internal and psychiatric illnesses or as a side effect of medication and drugs.

Hypersomnolence is used as an umbrella term for disorders that are associated with daytime sleepiness, an increased tendency to fall asleep, sleep attacks, an increased need for sleep and/or a waking disorder.

The professorship is funded by the Marga and Walter Boll Foundation, the Imhoff Foundation and the European Sleep Foundation.

Particular focus and specialisations:

• Narcolepsy and central hypersomnias (idiopathic hypersomnia; Kleine- Levin syndrome)
• Neurological sleep and wake medicine
• Environmental influences on narcolepsy and hypersomnias
• Inflammatory CNS diseases

An overview of the publications can be found at Google Scholar and Pubmed.

Dolores Borth, study coordinator (nurse; Certificate in Sleep Medicine)

Doctoral students (Dr med.): Benedicte Finger, Claudia Mevers, Begüm Harmes, Frederike Tepel, Rana Rezaei, Merve Yildizli, Lea Lieberich, Hanna Cintosun

Doctoral students for the Dr rer. medic: Hannah Brüseke, Jessica d'Heureuse
 

• Specialist in neurology
• Additional training in sleep medicine
• Additional qualification in traffic medicine

since 2023
Endowed professorship for narcolepsy and hypersomnolence research, Witten/Herdecke University

since 2023
Co-director, Centre for Rare Sleep Disorders, CeSER (Centre for Rare Diseases Ruhr)

since 2020
Consulting Research Professor, Sleep Epidemiology Research Center, Stanford University (USA)

since 2020
Head of the Centre for Narcolepsy and Hypersomnia, Authorised Outpatient Clinic, Witten

2019 - 2023
Head of Clinical Sleep and Neuroimmunology Group, Institute of Immunology, Witten/Herdecke University

2016 - 2018
Director of the Institute for Sleep Medicine and Deputy Head Physician of the Clinic for Neurology, Hagen/Ambrock Clinic

2013 - 2018
Senior Physician, University Clinic for Neurology, Bern (Director: Prof. C.L. Bassetti)

2012
Additional training in sleep medicine; qualification in traffic medicine

2011 - 2013
Senior Physician, University Hospital Zurich, Neurology

2010
Specialist in neurology

2005
PhD thesis at the Institute of Immunology and Medical Microbiology, University of Bonn

2003
State examination in medicine (University of Bonn)
 

In our courses, students deal with various topics, including

• Diseases with hypersomnolence of central origin, especially narcolepsy
• Sleep and wakefulness disorders
• Physiology of sleep and wakefulness
• Environmental influences on neurological (sleep) disorders

• Narcolepsy
• (Idiopathic) hypersomnia
• Kleine-Levin syndrome

Awards

• Research Award, Pfizer Foundation, Switzerland: Award in the category "Neuroscience and Diseases of the Nervous System" (2020)
• 2021: Fellow, European Academy of Neurology (EAN)
• 2021: 1st Prize Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Franco-Regli-Foundation (CH)
• 2019: Nakano Citation; CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) (USA)
• 2018: Research Prize; Italian Narcolepsy Association (AIN) (IT)

Memberships and current functions

• European Academy of Neurology (EAN), Board Member, Chair Task Force "Environmental Influences in Neurology"
• German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine, deputy speaker of the Hypersomnia Working Group
• European Narcolepsy Network
• German Society for Neurology

Further teaching activities

• Degree programme - Master in Sleep Medicine (University of Bern, CH)

To the outpatient clinic for narcolepsy and hypersomnia