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Tobias is a nursing practitioner experienced in mental health who has spent several years working with emerging adults at a clinic in Vienna, Austria. In 2021, he embarked on a new academic journey, joining the Grabovac Group as a PhD student in Public Health at the Medical University of Vienna. Tobias’s journey from a nursing practitioner to pursuing a PhD has been quite transformative. During his years working as a nurse in a clinic in Vienna, he gained many practical insights into the Austrian healthcare system – particularly regarding mental healthcare – and the specific challenges patients and healthcare professionals face on a daily basis. While he found this work utterly rewarding, he also became increasingly interested in exploring the underlying issues affecting healthcare access and delivery and how these influence patients’ outcomes and experiences on a broader scale. This curiosity and the desire to make a more significant impact led him to consider a career shift towards academia, as he saw the potential to contribute to healthcare not just at the bedside but also by conducting research that could inform policy changes and improve overall patient care. Tobias’s primary research interests revolve around advancing the mental health of vulnerable and neglected communities, and, within this context, his PhD is dedicated to enhancing cancer preventive care for individuals facing homelessness – a mission that aligns with the objectives of CANCERLESS, an EU Horizon 2020 funded initiative, led and coordinated by Igor Grabovac.
Mental health, participatory research, public health, public mental health, stigma, vulnerable communities
Schiffler, T., Carmichael, C., Smith, L., Doñate-Martínez, A., Alhambra-Borrás, T., Varadé, M. R., Barrio Cortes, J., Kouvari, M., Karnaki, P., Moudatsou, M., Tabaki, I., Gil-Salmeron, A., & Grabovac, I. (2023). Access to cancer preventive care and program considerations for people experiencing homelessness across four European countries: An exploratory qualitative study. EClinicalMedicine, 62, 102095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102095
Carmichael, C., Schiffler, T., Smith, L., Moudatsou, M., Tabaki, I., Doñate-Martínez, A., Alhambra-Borrás, T., Kouvari, M., Karnaki, P., Gil-Salmeron, A., & Grabovac, I. (2023). Barriers and facilitators to health care access for people experiencing homelessness in four European countries: An exploratory qualitative study. International Journal for Equity in Health, 22(1), 206. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-02011-4
Schiffler, T., Seiler-Ramadas, R., Štefanac, S., Haider, S., Mües, H. M., & Grabovac, I. (2022). Implementation of a Mobile DBT App and Its Impact on Suicidality in Transitional Age Youth with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020701
Schiffler, T., Kapan, A., Gansterer, A., Pass, T., Lehner, L., Gil-Salmeron, A., McDermott, D. T., & Grabovac, I. (2023). Characteristics and Effectiveness of Co-Designed Mental Health Interventions in Primary Care for People Experiencing Homelessness: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010892
Schiffler, T., Jeleff, M., Gil-Salmerón, A., Yang, L., Haider, S., Schuch, F. B., & Grabovac, I. (2023). Cancer risk factors and access to cancer prevention services for people experiencing homelessness: A scoping review protocol. BMJ Open, 13(8), e074710. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074710
Austrian Public Health Association: member
European Public Health Association: member
2023. Research grant of the Ludwig Boltzmann Society Open Innovation in Science Center (LBG OIS Center): CoMitMenT (Trialogical co-design to improve physical healthcare for people experiencing mental ill-health)
2016-2019: Bachelor’s program in Healthcare and Nursing, University of Applied Sciences Campus Vienna, Austria (Bachelor of Science in Health Studies)
2019-2021: Master’s program in Health Assisting Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Campus Vienna (Master of Science in Natural Sciences)
2021-2023: Propaedeutic Program in Psychotherapy, Vienna Psychoanalytic Society
2021- ongoing: Bachelor’s program in Psychology, University of Vienna (Bachelor of Science)
2021- ongoing: Doctorate Program in Applied Medical Science, Thematic Program “Public Health”, Medical University of Vienna (Doctor of Science)