I conduct independent research without institutional affiliation in the field of adolescent anorexia nervosa and in education. Direct access to the field is central to both strands. My academic background: lic.rer.publ.HSG, International Affairs, University of St. Gallen · Diploma in Cultural Management, FernUniversität Hagen · MA in School Development, PH Weingarten (2026–2028)
Independent community-based research. Data basis: quantitative cross-sectional surveys using purpose-built questionnaires, conducted with parents from parent networks in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (cohort ~1,000 families)."
Conferences and presentations
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2026 · EDRS Congress, Vienna — Access enabled through the academic endorsement of Prof. Andreas Karwautz, Medical University of Vienna: Open versus blind weighing and children's portioning autonomy as predictors of weight gain in adolescent anorexia nervosa; evidence of an outpatient setting
Research question: How do blind weighing practices and portioning autonomy affect the continuation of weight rehabilitation at home?
Preliminary findings: Patients who are weighed blind at home and are not required to take responsibility for portioning gain weight significantly more effectively than the comparison group.
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2026 · DGKJP Congress, Würzburg — joint symposium with the University Hospital RWTH Aachen: Impact of individual inpatient treatment aspects on the risk of multiple hospitalisations in adolescent anorexia nervosa
Research question: How do discharge weight, communication of a target weight and portioning autonomy affect the risk of rehospitalisation?
Findings: Patients who are not required to take responsibility for portioning after discharge experience significantly fewer repeat hospitalisations than those who portion their own food at home.
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2025 · DAG-DGESS Congress, Stuttgart: High readmission rates in adolescent anorexia nervosa: gaps in collaboration between clinics and parents
Research question: Which inpatient treatment aspects can help reduce the risk of a second hospitalisation?
Findings: During inpatient treatment, patients regain on average half of their initial weight loss and are discharged before any meaningful behavioural improvement has occurred. This tends to happen once the premorbid BMI percentile is approximately reached, provided it was not already in the medically underweight range.
Study consortium
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2024–present · Charité Berlin, FIAT Study: Family-Based Telemedicine versus Institutional Anorexia Nervosa Therapy
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2025–2026 · Research synthesis on student mental health and teacher burden at Swiss primary school level — foundation for a pilot study.
Synthesis question: To what extent does the internationally established relationship between teacher-student relationship quality and the development of future competencies apply to Swiss primary schools, and what conditions promote this relationship quality at this level?
Findings: The international research base robustly supports the link between teacher-student relationship quality and competency development; however, specific findings for Swiss primary schools are lacking. Regarding the conditions, the literature shows that teacher workload, autonomy and school support structures are decisive factors. How these interact at Swiss primary school level remains empirically open and is the subject of the planned pilot study.