In Memoriam Uwe Heinemann
22.09.2016
Prof. Dr. Uwe Heinemann passed away on September 8, 2016. As we grieve the loss of our colleague, mentor and friend, we remember his career and his impact.
Uwe Heinemann studied medicine in Munich. Following doctoral studies and training in Oxford, he joined the Max Planck Institute for Physiology in Munich. In 1986, he was appointed Professor for Physiology and Pathophysiology at the University of Cologne. In 1993 he became Chair of the Institute for Neurophysiology at the Charité in Berlin. In 2012, he was appointed Senior Professor at NeuroCure and the Neuroscience Research Center (NWFZ), Charité.
Uwe Heinemann’s research in experimental neurophysiology focused mainly on mechanisms of epileptogenesis and pharmacoresistance, but he was also interested in cellular mechanisms of learning and memory consolidation. He authored more than 300 publications, received multiple international prizes for his epilepsy research, and served on the neuroscience panel of prestigious funding organisations including the German Research Foundation (DFG) and European Research Council.
Uwe Heinemann was a driving and defining force behind initiatives that have had a lasting impact on Berlin neuroscience. He was a founding member and Chair of the NWFZ until 2005, and founding member and Co-Director of NeuroCure until 2010. Thereafter, he continued to serve as advisor for major funding proposals, including NeuroCure II and the Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin.
Uwe Heinemann was deeply committed to training scientists of the future. The number of researchers he mentored and influenced - many of whom have become professors in their own right - is truly impressive. In addition, he served as Coordinator of DFG Research Training Group 1123, “Cellular Mechanisms of Learning and Memory Consolidation in the Hippocampal Formation”. He cared greatly about education and access for PhD and medical students, and played an active role in developing curricula and making sure students could participate in scientific congresses, meetings and the like. Those lucky enough to have had him as their supervisor or mentor will remember not only his scientific rigor and enthusiasm, but also his boundless willingness to help, and dedication to his mentees’ development and success.
Thank you, Uwe, for all the years you shared with us. We will never forget you.
Our thoughts and condolences are with Uwe’s family.
A memorial service will be held on September 30, 2016 at 10:00 at the Heilig-Geist-Kapelle of the Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Spandauer Strasse 1, 10178 Berlin.
The funeral will take place at 12:00 at the Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof II, Liesenstrasse 9, 13355 Berlin.
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