Prof. Dr. Birgit Högl

Birgit Högl is a full Professor of Neurology and Sleep Medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, Head of the sleep clinic and research group, and Vice Director of the Department of Neurology.   

Prof. Högl has been actively engaged in motor disorders of sleep related research for over two decades, with a main research focus on RLS, RBD, and polysomnographic techniques in neurological disease. Originally trained at the Technical University of Munich, and diverse international internships, she did her residency in Munich, and a movement disorder fellowship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1999, she became head of the sleep laboratory at Medical University of Innsbruck, and started a small sleep research group.  Under her leadership, the sleep disorders outpatient clinic and sleep laboratory of the Medical University of Innsbruck has developed into one of the largest and most well renowned neurological sleep laboratories in Europe enabling many young physicians to start and pursue their careers. Her group has developed and established improved standard diagnostic methods for certain disorders, such as RBD and contributed to the development of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of certain motor disorders of sleep, as well as to improving methodology for joint research projects. She has published extensively,  > 300 medline papers, Hirsch Index 60, contributing > 40 chapters to  international books, encyclopedia and standard volumes in the fields of sleep medicine, and she is a coeditor of 4 books for professionals dedicated to sleep.  

Prof. Högl has served as officer on numerous sleep related societies, was president of the World Sleep Society from 2019 to 2022. She also was local organizer of an ESRS congress in Innsbruck in 2005.