He is a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and a researcher at the Montreal Diabetes Research Center. Dr Schmitz's research focuses on the role of lifestyle/behavioral factors and psychological problems as risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes and as risk factors for poor health outcome in people with type 2 diabetes.Prior to joining McGill University in 2004, Dr Schmitz was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine at Heinrich-Heine-University in Duesseldorf, Germany, and Director of the Research Unit Public Mental Health. Dr Schmitz obtained his PhD in Statistics from the University of Dortmund (1995) and a second PhD in Epidemiology from Heinrich-Heine-University in Duesseldorf, Germany (2002).