MSH positions itself with a research-intensive profile that
- combines basic research and translational research in the fields of human medicine, psychology/psychotherapy and health sciences with prevention, intervention and healthcare research in networked structures,
- promotes the transfer of research into teaching and research into society and
- sees the development of young scientists as a strategic task.
MSH combines high quality standards in all areas of research. It is oriented towards a common understanding of health along the bio-psycho-social model of health and illness with reference to the ICF, according to which the WHO defines health as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”.
According to MSH's self-image, this research profile includes
- interdisciplinary health research - research as the cooperation of health economists, psychologists, lawyers, educators, physicians, social scientists, health and natural scientists as well as other related disciplines and thus a possible integrative perspective on the topic of health/disease and medicine,
- an interdisciplinary approach by the actors involved and the willingness of the various professional groups to work closely together,
- the networking of the university outpatient clinics as research and teaching outpatient clinics and the Helios clinics in Schwerin for an interdisciplinary and interprofessional transfer of practice.
Health is defined as a cross-university research focus. MSH sees health as the unifying element of all faculties and their members. This results in the three cross-university research fields:
- Basic medical and neuroscientific research and translational research,
- Intervention, prevention and healthcare research in the field of bio-psycho-social health and
- research in related fields of the health and care system.
Within the cross-university research focus on health and its three research fields, the university has set itself four research priorities:
- I: Molecular mechanisms of neurological, oncological and immunological diseases
- II: Stress as a cause and consequence of mental and somatic illnesses
- III: Exercise for the development and maintenance of psycho-physical health and performance
- IV: Educational, artistic and social resilience factors for health
Interdisciplinarity and thus cross-faculty research is a defining aspect of research at MSH. The aim is to bundle as many research interests as possible, taking into account the researchers' freedom of choice, while fully guaranteeing the freedom of research.