Hildegard Janouschek, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry, recently moved to Iowa from Aachen, Germany to join the Iowa Neuroscience Institute (INI). Dr. Janouschek has taken on a unique role at UI Healthcare as the only dually-trained physician-scientist in psychiatry and neurology. 

“I think the environment is quite supportive here and people are interested in collaborating with each other,” she said. 

Janouschek received her medical degree from the University of Regensburg in Regensburg, Germany and she went on to complete training programs in Psychiatry and Neurology at Aachen University.  

Before coming to Iowa, Dr. Janouschek focused on neuroimaging research on patients who suffered from schizophrenia and Tourette's disorder as well as on Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). She authored a book chapter on ECT along with over a dozen research papers in publications including Biological Psychiatry.

The INI has developed several research programs featuring teams of scientists who are looking into the causes and treatments of brain disorders. Janouschek will work with researchers with a special interest in neuromodulation. The team will focus on clinical care through ECT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) while also investigating the best outcomes for patients using these treatment methods.

Janouschek has already made major strides toward understanding treatments such as ECT and DBS.

With a new lab and resources now available to her, she hopes to transition her work into looking at the role of acid-sensing ion channels on neuroplasticity and neurodevelopment.

She will primarily be collaborating with John Wemmie, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Director of Translational Research in the INI. Professor Wemmie has done innovative work on acid-sensing ion channels in the brain, leading to major discoveries and national grant funding.

In the clinic, Janouschek will have the unique ability to work in both neurology and psychiatry clinics to see patients with conditions such as Huntington’s Disease, Tourette’s Disorder, sleep and memory problems, and others. She will also continue to work in ECT.