In close cooperation with its clinical-experimental working groups, current research topics are taken up that arise from the constant change in the working world "on land and at sea".Thematically, the focus is on the development of workplace-related and at the same time public health-related prevention strategies, e.g. on the increasing absenteeism and early retirement due to mental stress and diseases or on health burdens caused by the increasing work intensification, the globalized commodity trade and new industries and technologies. In this context, the ZfAM draws on extensive expertise, but at the same time sets thematic priorities in newly established research projects, e.g. on the health effects of night and shift work and on quality-assured methods in the early diagnosis of occupational respiratory and lung diseases.

The Institute continues to deal in particular with research topics that have a Hamburg-specific connection, an example of which is the complex of topics "Psychomental stress in shipping". For the coastal states, the emerging technology sector of "offshore wind energy" poses a challenge to employee and workplace-related prevention, to which the Central Institute contributes its expertise.The diagnostics of the "classical" chemical-irritative, toxic, carcinogenic and biological stresses also continue to be a focus at ZfAM.

Cooperation with the UKE takes place within the framework of the Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS), for which ZfAM developed questions of occupational and environmental medicine in particular; involvement in the Center for Health Care Research (CHCR), the UKE association for health care research, was also expanded.

The members of the advisory board advise and support ZfAM in the performance of its tasks and research projects. In 2020, a restructuring of some Hamburg authorities took place. There was a change in affiliation, with which the ZfAM was transferred to the Authority for Justice and Consumer Protection (BJV). Since then, the members of the advisory board are appointed by the president of the BJV for a term of four years.

Members of the advisory board

Prof. em. Dr. Dr. Hermann M. Bolt
Leibniz Research Center for Working Enviroment and Human Factors (Dortmund)

Prof. Dr. Annegret Flotow
Department Ökotrophologie, HAW

PD Dr. Hans Klose
Chefarzt der Sektion Pneumologie, Onkologisches Zentrum am UKE

Prof. Dr. Olaf von dem Knesebeck
Direktor des Instituts für Medizinische Soziologie, UKE

Prof. Dr. Albert Nienhaus
Stellvertr. Direktor des Instituts für Versorgungsforschung
in der Dermatologie und bei Pflegeberufen, UKE

Prof. Dr. Birgit-Christiane Zyriax
Universitätsprofessur für Hebammenwissenschaften - Versorgungsforschung und Prävention, UKE