Constanze Schmidt is regarded as a recognised expert in electrophysiology and cardiac arrhythmias. Her research focuses on atrial cardiomyopathy and its significance for the risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation - the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia. She is also developing innovative therapies in interventional electrophysiology, such as conductive ‘heart tattoos’ made of gold or silver for long-term stabilisation of the heart rhythm. Clinical trials are currently being carried out as part of an EU-funded project.
Translational research - the targeted transfer of scientific findings into clinical application - is a central concern of Prof Schmidt: "I see translational research in cardiovascular medicine as an essential building block for improving the lives of patients by enabling them to benefit directly from the latest research findings. With a focus on atrial cardiomyopathy, heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias, I would like to further develop this area at the UMG Heart Centre, the Heart & Brain Centre Göttingen with the interface of heart and brain as well as other partner institutions such as the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research here at the site."
Born in Lüneburg, Constanze Schmidt is returning to a formative place in her professional career with her new management position: she studied human medicine and physics in Göttingen and obtained her doctorate in 2011.
After pursuing clinical and scientific work in Heidelberg (2010-2021), habilitation (2017) and specialist training, she became an adjunct professor in 2020. Since 2022, she has been Else Kröner Professor for ‘Atrial Arrhythmopathy’ in Heidelberg. On 1 July 2025, she will take over as University Professor of Cardiology and Head of the Department of Cardiology and Pneumology at the UMG. She takes over from Prof. Dr. Gerd Hasenfuß, who retired in 2024. During the transition phase, the clinic was temporarily led by Prof. Dr. Karl Toischer.
Prof Schmidt has received numerous awards, including the Gertrud Spitz Foundation Science Prize (2023), the August Wilhelm and Lieselotte Becht Research Prize (2017) and the Oskar Lapp Research Prize (2016). She was also a multiple prizewinner and national winner in the ‘Jugend forscht’ competition.
She is active in various professional societies and is currently a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). She also leads two DGK working groups (‘Heart - Brain’ and ‘Cellular Electrophysiology’) and a sub-project in the Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1550 ‘Molecular Circuits of Heart Disease’.
