Scientific Activity

Clinical Experience

After his board approval as a specialized physician in psychiatry and psychotherapy (CBT), Dr. Agorastos joined the Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA, and specialized in psychotraumatology and psychoneuroendocrinology, -physiology and –immunology of stress- and trauma-related disorders. After his postdoctoral fellowship at UCSD, he rejoined the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Hamburg as an attending psychiatrist and board-approved psychotherapist and provided unrestricted and fully autonomous clinical duties at the psychiatric outpatient unit by personally treating a very large number of inpatients and outpatients, as well as independent liaison services and clinical supervision to psychiatry residents and psychologists.

In 2014, Dr. Agorastos took over the clinical direction of the depression outpatient clinical programme of the clinic and has been a major referral resource for difficult clinical cases of depression. In 2015, he was announced Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in the Medical Faculty of the Hamburg University and was then appointed Senior Physician and Head of the Outpatient Psychiatric Services of the Department with heavy engagement in the direct clinical supervision of a large number of physicians and psychologists in the multi-disciplinary team staffing the Unit (> 40 staff members, over 8,000 patients and 20,000 single patient visits annually).

Fields of clinical expertise are stress- and trauma-related disorders (e.g. depression, PTSD), anxiety disorders & OCD, treatment-resistant depression, post-partum depression, affective and psychotic disorders, psychopathological states with organic background and (neuro)psychiatric emergencies. His diagnostic and clinical skills are also demonstrated by numerous peer-reviewed publications of case reports in internationally recognized scientific journals (e.g. Am J Psychiatry, Gen Hosp Psychiatry, J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, Pharmacopsychiatry).

 

Teaching

Dr. Agorastos has been heavily involved in the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching of medical students and physicians in the field of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Hamburg since 2006. Since 2015, Dr. Agorastos is holder of the venia legendi (full lecturer and doctoral supervisor approval) of the University of Hamburg for the field Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and appointed Associate Professor. Dr. Agorastos’ teaching experience includes the regular teaching in a variety of class sizes and educational models, as well as doctoral and clinical supervision of doctorate candidates and staff physicians/psychologists. A more detailed description of the educational experience is provided in the PDF file of the full CV.

 

Research

Dr. Agorastos has been active in many research fields beginning his doctorate in addictions, and later on in anxiety disorders, neuropsychology of schizophrenia, transcultural psychiatry and religiosity/spirituality in psychiatry. His current research focus centers in stress neurobiology with particular emphasis on psychoneuroendocrinological, neurophysiological and –immunological aspects of PTSD and depression, as well as in circadian rhythms and chronodisruption.

Dr. Agorastos’ post-doctoral research fellowship and ongoing collaboration with the VA Centre of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health in San Diego, UCSD gave him the opportunity to participate in prospective but also cross-sectional research studies and investigate the role of biomarkers, inflammation, and neuroendocrine function in stress, depression and PTSD. After re-joining the University of Hamburg, Dr. Agorastos has been scientifically active in a research group accomplishing high-quality research in the field of HPA axis and autonomic nervous system in general and neuroendocrinology/-physiology and psychopharmacology of depression and anxiety disorders in particular.

Dr. Agorastos has managed to successfully apply for funding and has been awarded with several research grants from the Bial Foundation (Portugal), Hamburg University, Werner-Otto Foundation (Germany), etc. as principal investigator. His research excellence in the field was awarded in 2014 with the prestigious one-year’s research scholarship for Excellent Young Researchers of the medical faculty of the University of Hamburg in order to fully focus on his research activities. Finally, Dr. Agorastos’ expertise is proven through increasing invitations to act as expert reviewer in several high-impact scientific journal in the field and a high number of national and international awards and honors.

 

Publications

Dr. Agorastos’ research output is demonstrated by a solid number of publications in high-rank, international, peer-reviewed scientific journals (JAMA Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Biological Psychiatry, International Clinical Psychopharmacology, International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, Current Opinion in Psychiatry, BMC Psychiatry, Journal of Pineal Research, Journal of Psychiatric Research, Psychiatry Research, World Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Mental Disease, Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Neuropsychopharmacology, Psychological Medicine, Stress, General Hospital Psychiatry, etc.).

His curriculum vitae lists 40 published peer-reviewed articles (26 as first author) in international high-rank journals with a total impact factor of 146.49 (h-index: 12, i10-index:13), while most of them published within the last 5 years. In addition, he is the author of 20 published abstracts in international journals, 6 book chapters, 3 articles in national German and Greek journals, and 3 monographies.

 

Fellowships, Awards & Honors

2015 - Travel Award, World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP)

2015 - International Travel Award, Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP)

2015 - Educational Fellowship, B. Braun Foundation, Germany

2015 - Research Grant, Werner-Otto-Foundation, Germany.

2014 - Excellent Young Investigator Annual Research Scholarship, University of Hamburg.

2014 - Travel Award, European Psychiatric Association (EPA)

2013 - Educational Fellowship, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP).

2013 - Young Investigator Award, International Society of Neuropsychoendocrinology (ISPNE)

2012 - Educational Fellowship, European Psychiatric Association (EPA)

2012 - Travel Award, American Psychosomatic Society (APS)

2011 - Excellent Young Investigator Grant - University of Hamburg.

2009 - Young Researcher Award, European Psychiatric Association (EPA)

2009 - Scientific Grant, University of Hamburg.

2008 - Research Grant, Bial Foundation, Portugal.

2008 - Educational Fellowship, Dept. of Psychiatry, King’s College, London.

 

Certifications & Accreditations

- ECNP Certificate, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP)

- European Certificate in Anxiety and Depression, University of Maastricht

- European Certificate for Psychotherapy (ECP), European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP)

- EAΒCT Accreditation, European Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (EAΒCT)

- CITI Human Subjects Protection / GCP Training, UCSD

- GCP Clinical Trial Investigator Training, University of Hamburg

- Medical Teaching Certificate, University of Hamburg

 

Reviewer Activity

JAMA Psychiatry, Lancet Psychiatry, Br J Psychiatry, Schizophrenia Res, Psychosom Med, Psychol Med, Psychoneuroendocrinology, World J Biol Psychiatry, Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, Int J Psychol Relig, Sleep Med, Psychol Rep, J Nerv Ment Dis, Compr Psychiatry, Int J Mol Sci, Ment Health Relig Cult,, Ann Gen Psychiatry, etc.

 

Memberships

- International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology (ISPNE), Member.

- American Psychosomatic Society (APS), Member.

- European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), Member.

- German Society of Biological Psychiatry (DGBP), Member.

- German Association of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (DGPPN), Member.

- Hamburg Medical Association, Member.

- German National Psychotherapy Organization (DVP), Member.

- European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP), Member.

- German Physician’s Initiative for Solidarity with Greece (GePISoG), Founding Member.

- German-Greek Association for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (DGGPP), Founding Member.

- Archives of Depression & Anxiety, Editorial Board Member.