Prof. Axel Olaf Kern

Department of Social Services
University of Applied Science Ravensburg-Weingarten Germany

After studying Business Administration and a period of training with the health insurance com-pany Hallesche-Nationale Krankenversicherung a.G. in Stuttgart as a part of his studies, Axel Kern went on to study Economics. From 1989, he was a students’ tutor for Mathematics and Statistics in the Economic Sciences Department of the Free University of Berlin. Then until 1995 he was scientific associate for the Chair of Economics and Social Policy (Prof. H. Lampert) at the University of Augsburg.

From 1995 until 1999 he was scientific associate and project manager at the Institute of Health System Research (Institut für Gesundheits-System-Forschung, Prof. F. Beske) in Kiel. Between 1999 and 2001, he was deputy director of the Institut für Gesundheits-System-Forschung GmbH. From 2001 until 2004 he was assistant to the Chair of Financial Science and Social Policy (Prof. M Pfaff) at the University of Augsburg. He obtained his doctorate with a thesis on “Privatization of contract dental services”.

Since March 2004 he has been Professor of Health and Social Management and Dean of Studies for the Masters course on “Management in Social and Health Services” at the University of Applied Science for Economics, Technology and Social Services at Ravensburg-Weingarten in Germany.

Temporary Adviser of the World Health Organization (WHO). Reviewer for the European Jour-nal of Public Health and the European Journal of Health Economics. Visiting Professor for Health Economics at the Russian Academy for Advanced Medical Studies (RAAMS).

Areas of research: health economics, insurance economics, health policy, social policy.