On Friday, June 26, 2026, PD Dr. med. Silke Schwarz delivered her public inaugural lecture in the new building at the University of Witten/Herdecke to mark the completion of her habilitation. The event focused on the topic “Digitalization and Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.”

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic metabolic diseases in children and adolescents. Age-appropriate education is of central importance in order to meet the individual needs and requirements of young people. The aim is to enable children and adolescents to live independently and avoid secondary diseases.

Prof Dr David Martin from the Institute for Integrative Medicine at the University of Witten/Herdecke has contributed a scientific article to the international open access edited volume On the Earth We Want to Live. Anthroposophy's Contributions to Sustainable Development. The volume was published by Springer Verlag in December 2025 and is dedicated to the question of what contribution anthroposophically inspired approaches can make to sustainable development.

Subjective fears and ignorance characterize how many parents deal with fever. As a result, there is a disproportionately high number of unnecessary emergency room visits and medication use. This increases the risk of antibiotic resistance and places a strain on the healthcare system and the environment. This is where Fit für Fieber comes in, helping parents to deal with fever in a rational manner.

From November this year, the Germany-wide, cluster-randomised intervention study "Screen-free - Be there!" will be launched to prevent screen-related health problems in children aged three and over.

Rhythmic massage therapy - In this exploratory study, we want to investigate whether this very gentle form of massage can have a positive influence on the autonomic nervous system - measured by heart rate variability (HRV) and other stress/inflammation markers and questionnaires/interviews.

The guideline provides both general and age-specific recommendations on screen media use. In addition, there are recommendations for educators, parents and siblings and procedures for cases of excessive screen media use.

The lecture addresses the health consequences of screen media consumption in children and adolescents as well as specific recommendations for age-appropriate use.

People living with coronary heart disease can actively shape their health. Through energising exercise, a Mediterranean diet, psychosocial support and biographical reflection, participants gain more joie de vivre, inner stability and self-confidence in everyday life.