“I have learned to value meeting patients where they are, listening with empathy, and offering structure, which can build trust, strengthen compliance, and improve outcomes.”

Dr Anna Maria Laure, postgraduate trainee in psychiatry and psychotherapy at the Medical University of Vienna, Department of General Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Austria, is a rising voice in European psychiatry whose work integrates clinical experience, cross-cultural insight and evidence-based treatment. From early clinical rotations in Austria, Germany and Tanzania to her current research in treatment-resistant depression and long COVID, Dr Laure’s path reflects a deep commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary care and patient-centred practice.

As part of touchNEUROLOGY’s Future Leaders 2025 series, and in collaboration with International Forum on Mood and Anxiety Disorders (IFMAD) 2025 rising star award, Dr Laure shares the key experiences, mentors and emerging treatment strategies that shape her evolving career. Her contributions to the Group for the Study of Resistant Depression (GSRD), combined with award-winning clinical work, mark her as one to watch in the field of psychiatry and psychotherapy.

1. What inspired you to pursue a career in psychiatry/psychotherapy?

Psychiatry fascinates me with its depth and complexity. It offers a special opportunity to view patients in the context of their lives – to understand their suffering and needs and to support them through evidence-based interdisciplinary treatment.

2. Is there a specific patient, mentor or experience that shaped your path in this field?

I’m truly grateful to Lucie Bartova (MD, PhD) for her tireless dedication, innovation, and mentorship. I hold deep respect for Prof. Siegfried Kasper’s international expertise and lasting encouragement.

3. What current innovations in the psychiatric/psychotherapeutic treatment space excite you the most?

I’m excited by rapid-acting antidepressants like (es)-ketamine and precision-guided treatments for treatment-resistant depression.

4. What advice would you give to medical students or young professionals considering a career in this area?

I have learned to value meeting patients where they are, listening with empathy, and offering structure, which can build trust, strengthen compliance, and improve outcomes.

About Anna Maria Laure

Dr Anna Maria Laure is a medical doctor who graduated from the Medical University of Vienna in 2024 and is currently in postgraduate clinical training with a focus on psychiatry and psychotherapy. She has gained clinical experience through rotations in Austria, Germany, and Tanzania. Dr Laure has contributed to research within the Group for the Study of Resistant Depression (GSRD), focusing on real-world treatment strategies in major depressive disorder (MDD), and was previously involved in the CoviKET working group, focusing on the clinical evaluation of Long COVID. An abstract based on her research was published in Neuroscience Applied and presented at the ECNP Congress 2024. She also reviews for the International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice and was awarded the 2024 ÖGPB Prize for Clinical Psychiatry. 

Dr Anna Maria Laure also received the award as Rising Star of 20th International Forum on Mood and Anxiety Disorders 2025. You can find the abstract and summary of the research below.

Real-World Socio-Demographic and Clinical Characteristics in Major Depressive Disorder: A Multicenter Secondary Analysis of Trazodone as First-Line Therapy

• Secondary analysis from a European, cross-sectional, multicentre study of 1410 patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
• Patients were categorized based on first-line antidepressant: trazodone (≥150 mg/day, once-daily) or other agents.
• Comparison of socio-demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics between groups.
• Use of statistical methods including chi-square tests, ANCOVAs, and post-hoc logistic regression analyses.

Editor: Katey Gabrysch, Editorial Director.

Disclosures: No funding was received in the publication of this article. Dr Anna Laure has nothing to disclose in relation to this article.

Cite: Psychiatry innovations and mentorship with Dr Anna Laure: touchNEUROLOGY Future Leader 2025. touchNEUROLOGY. 29 May 2025.

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