Thomas Kinfe appointed to endowed professorship for Neuromodulation and Neuroprosthetics

The MCTN welcomes Prof. Dr. Thomas Kinfe, who has been appointed to the endowed professorship for Neuromodulation and Neuroprosthetics at the Mannheim Medical Faculty of the University of Heidelberg. Thomas Kinfe took up the position in October 2024. The professorship is also associated with the management of a clinical-translational section for neuromodulation and neuroprosthetics, which is currently being established within the Neurosurgery Clinic, headed by Prof. Dr. Nima Etminan.

Thomas Kinfe studied human medicine at the Justus-Liebig University Giessen and at the University Heidelberg (Medical Faculty Mannheim). He completed his residency in the Department of Neurosurgery (Prof. Dr. Krauss) at the Medical School Hannover (MHH). Previously, he taught as a professor of neurosurgery with a focus on functional stereotactic neurosurgery at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, where he was also Chairman of the Division Functional Neurosurgery and Stereotaxy in the Department of Neurosurgery. The endowed professorship Neuromodulation and Neuroprosthetics at the Mannheim Medical Faculty of the University of Heidelberg is the next step in his career with the intention to establish a regional and national center for neuromodulation ranging from brain stimulation, spinal cord modulation to peripheral nerve field stimulation.

Thomas Kinfe's scientific focus isclinical research of relevant outcome measures for neurostimulation such as molecular, neuroimaging-based and neurophysiological phenotyping along with the establishment of innovative, translational neurostimulation procedures of the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves and peripheral nervous system for the treatment of movement disorders, pain syndromes, psychiatric disorders and epilepsy.

In addition to established neurostimulation therapies, innovative and translational neurotechnologies such as the use of brain-computer interface technologies to restore functional deficits (motor function, speech), robotic-assisted stereotactic neurosurgery and MR-based stereotactic procedures in combination with deep brain stimulation, laser ablation and/or focused ultrasound, and neurorestorative therapies at the M2OLIE will be part of his work program.