Full Professor of Addiction Research, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University (Germany)
Deputy Head, Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine
Head of the Research Group Integrative Neuroscience of Addictive Behaviors (INA)
Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH)
Dr. Lenz’s scholarship centers on three intersecting themes: (1) how sex and gender shape the onset, course, and treatment response of addictive illnesses; (2) the use of virtual-reality technology to improve diagnosis and therapy; and (3) the long-overlooked needs of adults living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. His recent work includes high-impact studies on gender/sex-sensitive mental health care (Lancet Psychiatry, 2025) and hormone dynamics in alcohol use disorder (American Journal of Psychiatry, 2024).
Beyond the lab, Dr. Lenz serves as Deputy Editor of the journal SUCHT, Co-Coordinator of the German Center for Mental Health working group on “Gender/Sex and Mental Health,” and is a Fellow of Heidelberg University’s Institute for Advanced Study. His contributions have been recognized with the Wilhelm-Feuerlein Research Award and several early-career prizes for excellence in addiction science.
Board-certified in psychiatry, psychotherapy, addiction medicine, and geriatrics, Dr. Lenz combines rigorous clinical expertise with innovative translational research to advance more precise, equitable care for people affected by substance use disorders worldwide.