Harald Walach is a prominent figure in the fields of psychology, philosophy, and complementary medicine. Currently serving as the founder and CEO of the Change-Health-Science Institute, a private consulting firm he established in March 2017, Harald continues to make significant contributions to the world of health and science.
His educational journey includes a degree in psychology from the University of Freiburg. He also holds a PhD in Philosophy and History of Science from the University of Vienna and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Bale.
He served as the managing director of an adult education center in Bale, Switzerland, from 1985 to 1987. From 1991 to 1998, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychology. He was a senior researcher and coordinator of the Freiburg DMILS lab at the Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie from 1998 to 2000. He also served as the Coordinator and Director of the Research Group for the Evaluation of Complementary Medicine at the University Hospital, Freiburg, from 1999 to 2005.
Harald has made significant editorial contributions, serving as the Editor of Complementary Medicine Research and as the Director of the European Office of the Samueli Institute for Information Biology.
His international impact extends to roles such as “Research Professor” in Psychology at the University of Northampton in the UK from 2005 to 2009 and Editor-in-Chief of Spirituality and Health International. Since 2009, he has been the Editor-in-Chief of the book series Neuroscience, Consciousness, and Spirituality published by Springer.
Harald’s dedication to education led him to become a Professor of Research Methodology in Complementary Medicine and Director of the Institute of Transcultural Health Studies at the Europa Universität Viadrina. He has also held visiting professorships at various institutions, including the Medical Faculty at Universidad Federal Juiz de Fora in Brazil and Georgetown University Medical School’s Program for Integrative Medicine.
Throughout his career, Harald has authored numerous peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, monographs, and solicited texts, contributing significantly to the field of complementary medicine research. He is recognized as one of the most cited authors globally.
His extensive consulting and referee work for organizations such as the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Wellcome Trust, and WHO Expert Working Panels on Evidence Base of Homeopathy and Complementary Research Methods reflects his expertise and reputation in the field.