Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)

News 2017

New version of Public Health Kompakt

19.12.2017
The third edition of Public Health: A Compact Introduction to Social and Preventive Medicine (otherwise known as Public Health Kompakt) is available as an eBook beginning in December 2017. The 525-page German-language textbook provides basic information about public health, including prevention, health promotion, epidemiology, biostatistics, and healthcare systems. The book is directed toward students of medicine, public health and nursing, as well as population scientists, health economists, and other healthcare professionals. Continue reading

Open science communication @ISPM

18.12.2017
Listen to our latest podcasts about predatory publishing and about research assessment. As well as keeping up to date with new research findings, researchers also need to follow the changing world of science publishing and how their research is evaluated. We are now recording our regular research meetings and making the podcasts and slides available to all. Continue reading

Seminar review: Hans Wolff talks about prisons, health and human rights

30.10.2017
Prisons are a mirror of the quality of democracy in a country, says Professor Hans Wolff, who kicked off ISPM’s monthly seminar series in Bern on October 26th. Wolff, who heads the Geneva University Hospitals’ Division of Prison Health, spoke about trends in incarceration in Switzerland and the world, and about his work as Switzerland’s representative on the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT). Continue reading

New SNSF project grants for Ben Spycher and Nicola Low

17.10.2017
Pictured from right, PD Dr Ben Spycher, Garyfallos Konstantinoudis and Dr Christian Kreis will investigate cancer risks in children exposed to low dose ionising radiation. Pictured from left, Prof Dr med Nicola Low, Dianne Egli-Gany, Michel Counotte and Dr Phi Hung Nguyen are investigating the risks of Zika virus transmission and its complications. Continue reading

Lukas Fenner appointed as new cantonal physician in Solothurn

11.09.2017
On 4 September 2017, the Governing Council (Regierungsrat) of Canton Solothurn appointed Lukas Fenner from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine as the new cantonal physician. He will take office on 1 December 2017. Continue reading

ISPM Professor Claudia Kuehni to be first recipient of Ewald Weibel Prize for lung research

22.08.2017
The Ewald Weibel Prize for lung research in Switzerland will be awarded for the first time in 2017. The recipient is Claudia Kuehni of the University of Bern’s Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine. Continue reading

Now online: the website for the proposed cannabis study in Bern (the SCRIPT study)

11.08.2017
The goal of the SCRIPT study is to investigate the effects of allowing the regulated sale of cannabis in selected Bern pharmacies. Two groups will be compared: a group of cannabis users who are allowed to buy cannabis in a pharmacy, and users who have to use their usual channels to obtain the drug. Continue reading

ISPM collaborator Dr. Mazvita Sengayi reports on her HIV research in South Africa

20.07.2017
“Uncovering linkages between HIV and cancer in South Africa” was the title of a Q&A interview with epidemiologist Dr. Mazvita Sengayi published recently on the website of US-based CRDF Global, a non-profit organization that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration through grants, technical resources, training, and services. Continue reading

Now online: The Swiss atlas of selected medical interventions

28.06.2017
Now online: The Swiss atlas of selected medical interventions (Schweizer Atlas der Gesundheitsversorgung), developed by the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in collaboration with the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan). Continue reading

Online course to teach how to use evidence when developing medicines

19.06.2017
Six members of ISPM were involved in the development of a new online course covering the use of real-world evidence in medicine development. The six-week course will run from October 2 to November 12, 2017, and will be offered in English by the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Continue reading

Fake news: Sherlock among the tulips

07.06.2017
The “scandalous monopolistic misuse of power by scientific publishers” is the topic of a column by ISPM Director Matthias Egger in the June 2017 issue of Horizon, a monthly magazine published by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Egger became President of SNSF in January 2017. Continue reading

ESTHER Switzerland: 2017 call for proposals

31.05.2017
August 21st is the deadline for submitting 2017 proposals for Partnerships Project Grants and Start-up Grants to ESTHER Switzerland. Partnerships Project Grants should focus primarily on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and can include HIV/AIDS. Continue reading

ISPM Bern’s Sexual and Reproductive Health group collaborates on newly awarded grant to improve the sexual health of migrants and refugees

22.05.2017
The Europe and Global Challenges funding initiative has granted funding for the project “Identifying and implementing appropriate and effective public policy responses for improving the sexual health of migrants and refugees”. Continue reading

New e-learning module Public Health Research Ethics

16.05.2017
Standard ethical and legal frameworks do not seem to be well adapted to the requirements of public health researchers. A new, free, open-access, online module aims to provide basic training on the ethics of public health research involving humans, to help ensure that research meets the highest ethical standards and promotes the health and welfare of participants and local populations. Continue reading

ISPM’s Evidence Synthesis Methods group receives Campbell methods grant

15.05.2017
CINeMA (Confidence In Network Meta-Analysis) is a web application that aims to simplify the evaluation of confidence in the findings from network meta-analyses. The Campbell Collaboration awarded a grant to CINeMA as part of its programme supporting innovative methods development. Continue reading

Tuberculosis mortality and living conditions in Bern, Switzerland, 1856-1950

15.05.2017
ISPM research assistant Kathrin Zürcher received a special CHF 1,000 prize in March 2017 from the Swiss Foundation for Tuberculosis Research (swissTB) for her historical article looking at correlations between the tuberculosis mortality rate and living conditions in the Swiss capital between 1856 and 1950. Continue reading

Crowdfunding to support trial of chronic medicine dispensing machines in South Africa

12.05.2017
1000 hackers gathered in nine regions on five continents around the world on March 10-12, 2017, to brainstorm solutions for three of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The winning proposal at the Geneva site was a pilot project to provide medicine dispensing machines in South Africa, presented by ISPM’s “24/7 access to treatment team”. Continue reading

Manes-Kartagener prize won by ISPM’S Myrofora Goutaki

11.04.17
Myrofora Goutaki of ISPM’s Pediatric Respiratory Epidemiology Group was honoured for her outstanding research in the field of primary ciliary dyskinesia at the 39th annual meeting of the Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Pneumologie (the German-language Association for Paediatric Pulmonology). Read more

Charles Eugster wins two golds: Age is just a number

97-year-old Charles Eugster of Zurich practices what he preaches. ISPM’s 2017 Christmas seminar keynote speaker won two gold medals in March at the World Masters Athletics Championships Indoor in Daegu, South Korea. “Aging could be so different”, Eugster told the audience assembled on December 8, 2016, in Bern. Read more

New study MIWOCA kicks off April 1

31.03.2017
Although Switzerland has one of the best healthcare systems in Europe, access to healthcare is limited for certain groups within the population, among them migrant women. ISPM’s new study “Migrant women’s experience with Swiss healthcare services” (MIWOCA) is starting on April 1. Read more

Health literacy prize for NRP 69 project ‘Salt consumption’

28.03.2017
ISPM and the Bern University of Applied Sciences received the 2016 health literacy prize from Allianz Gesundheitskompetenz at the national health promotion conference in Neuchâtel in January 2017. Accepting the CHF 13,000 main prize were Corinna Krause of ISPM (pictured right) and Sandra Jent from BFH (pictured left). Read more

Read the 2016 news

News 2017

HAPPY HOLIDAYS !

The ISPM switchboard is not occupied between Christmas and New Year.

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Nöel! Happy Hanukkah! Buon Natale! Happy Kwanzaa!

It has been a pleasure working with you this year.

We wish you very happy holidays and a new year filled with all good things.

New version of Public Health Kompakt

The third edition of Public Health: A Compact Introduction to Social and Preventive Medicine (otherwise known as Public Health Kompakt) is available as an eBook beginning in December 2017. The 525-page German-language textbook provides basic information about public health, including prevention, health promotion, epidemiology, biostatistics, and healthcare systems.

Open science communication @ISPM

Listen to our latest podcasts about predatory publishing and about research assessment. As well as keeping up to date with new research findings, researchers also need to follow the changing world of science publishing and how their research is evaluated. We are now recording our regular research meetings and making the podcasts and slides available to all.

New SNSF project grants for Ben Spycher and Nicola Low

Pictured from right, PD Dr Ben Spycher, Garyfallos Konstantinoudis and Dr Christian Kreis will investigate cancer risks in children exposed to low dose ionising radiation. Pictured from left, Prof Dr med Nicola Low, Dianne Egli-Gany, Michel Counotte and Dr Phi Hung Nguyen are investigating the risks of Zika virus transmission and its complications.

Lukas Fenner appointed as new cantonal physician in Solothurn

On 4 September 2017, the Governing Council (Regierungsrat) of Canton Solothurn appointed Lukas Fenner from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine as the new cantonal physician. He will take office on 1 December 2017.

ISPM Professor Claudia Kuehni to be first recipient of Ewald Weibel Prize for lung research

The Ewald Weibel Prize for lung research in Switzerland will be awarded for the first time in 2017. The recipient is Professor Claudia Kuehni of the University of Bern’s Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine

Now online: the website for the proposed cannabis study in Bern (the SCRIPT study)

The goal of the SCRIPT study is to investigate the effects of allowing the regulated sale of cannabis in selected Bern pharmacies. Two groups will be compared: a group of cannabis users who are allowed to buy cannabis in a pharmacy, and users who have to use their usual channels to obtain the drug. A website containing information about the planned study and answers to frequently asked questions (in German) was launched in August.

ISPM collaborator Dr. Mazvita Sengayi reports on her HIV research in South Africa

“Uncovering linkages between HIV and cancer in South Africa” was the title of a Q&A interview with epidemiologist Dr. Mazvita Sengayi published recently on the website of US-based CRDF Global, a non-profit organization that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration through grants, technical resources, training, and services.

Now online: The Swiss atlas of selected medical interventions

Now online: The Swiss atlas of selected medical interventions (Schweizer Atlas der Gesundheitsversorgung), developed by the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in collaboration with the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan).

Online course to teach how to use evidence when developing medicines

Six members of ISPM were involved in the development of a new online course covering the use of real-world evidence in medicine development. The six-week course will run from October 2 to November 12, 2017, and will be offered in English by the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Fake news: Sherlock among the tulips

The “scandalous monopolistic misuse of power by scientific publishers” is the topic of a column by ISPM Director Matthias Egger in the June 2017 issue of Horizon, a monthly magazine published by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Egger became President of SNSF in January 2017.

ESTHER Switzerland: 2017 call for proposals

August 21st is the deadline for submitting 2017 proposals for Partnerships Project Grants and Start-up Grants to ESTHER Switzerland. Partnerships Project Grants should focus primarily on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and can include HIV/AIDS.

ISPM Bern’s Sexual and Reproductive Health group collaborates on newly awarded grant to improve the sexual health of migrants and refugees

The Europe and Global Challenges funding initiative has granted funding for the project "Identifying and implementing appropriate and effective public policy responses for improving the sexual health of migrants and refugees".

New e-learning module Public Health Research Ethics

Standard ethical and legal frameworks do not seem to be well adapted to the requirements of public health researchers. A new, free, open-access, online module aims to provide basic training on the ethics of public health research involving humans, to help ensure that research meets the highest ethical standards and promotes the health and welfare of participants and local populations.

ISPM’s Evidence Synthesis Methods group receives Campbell methods grant

CINeMA (Confidence In Network Meta-Analysis) is a web application that aims to simplify the evaluation of confidence in the findings from network meta-analyses. The Campbell Collaboration awarded a grant to CINeMA as part of its programme supporting innovative methods development.

Tuberculosis mortality and living conditions in Bern, Switzerland, 1856-1950

ISPM research assistant Kathrin Zürcher received a special CHF 1,000 prize in March 2017 from the Swiss Foundation for Tuberculosis Research (swissTB) for her historical article looking at correlations between the tuberculosis mortality rate and living conditions in the Swiss capital between 1856 and 1950.

Crowdfunding to support trial of chronic medicine dispensing machines in South Africa

1000 hackers gathered in nine regions on five continents around the world on March 10-12, 2017, to brainstorm solutions for three of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The winning proposal at the Geneva site was a pilot project to provide medicine dispensing machines in South Africa, presented by ISPM’s “24/7 access to treatment team”.

Manes-Kartagener prize won by ISPM’S Myrofora Goutaki

Myrofora Goutaki of ISPM’s Pediatric Respiratory Epidemiology Group was honoured for her outstanding research in the field of primary ciliary dyskinesia at the 39th annual meeting of the Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Pneumologie (the German-language Association for Paediatric Pulmonology).

Charles Eugster wins two golds: Age is just a number

New study MIWOCA kicks off April 1

Although Switzerland has one of the best healthcare systems in Europe, access to healthcare is limited for certain groups within the population, among them migrant women. ISPM’s new study “Migrant women’s experience with Swiss healthcare services” (MIWOCA) is starting on April 1.

Health literacy prize for NRP 69 project ‘Salt consumption’

ISPM and the Bern University of Applied Sciences received the 2016 health literacy prize from Allianz Gesundheitskompetenz at the national health promotion conference in Neuchâtel in January 2017. Accepting the CHF 13,000 main prize were Corinna Krause of ISPM (pictured right) and Sandra Jent from BFH (pictured left).

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