Prof dr Miranda Olff

Chair "Neurobiological mechanisms of prevention and treatment in trauma and PTSD"

Our research is on trauma and trauma related disorders, like PTSD. We focus on psychobiological mechansims underlying diagnosis and treatment of posttraumatic stress. Research includes randomized controlled trials on different types of interventions (psychological, pharmacological, combinations, drug add-on interventions, etc) in traumatized/PTSD patients, both preventive and curative. The psychobiological research - as much as possible linked to intervention studies - will include neuroimaging, neuroendocrine, psychneuroimmunological and neuropsychological aspects. Our oxytocin research creates opportunities for new evaluations of context related factors in lab settings and clinical practice. We will systematically examine different psychological as well as biological mechanisms underlying of response to trauma, to the development of symptoms and to treatment, as well as more on more fundamental stress response mechanisms.

Another line is the internet/mobile app/serious gaming research line with (inter)national university and technology partners. We have developed mobile apps such as SAM, Smart Assessment on your Mobile (of reslilence, risk and protective factors, and trauma related symptoms), and the SUPPORT Coach, to prevent or treat trauma related symptoms. We also specialize in Peer support, and have developed an online Peer Support training module. With a large EU consortium we are currently working on VR applications.

As past president of both the European and the Intenational Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS, ISTSS) and the as founding and current Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Psychotraumatology (EJPT), our research will be well connected to expert international networks. Chairing the Global collaboration on Traumatic Stress (GC-TS) with traumatic stress society partners all over the wold is one such example of international state-of-the-art research presence, see www.global-psychotrauma.net.