Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)

News 2022

First international patient conference on Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia

06.12.2022 – More than 300 participants joined the first international patient conference on primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), which was co-organised by PCD support groups worldwide. Continue reading

Thesis paper on the escalation model of the Swiss Epidemics Act (EpidA)

23.11.2022 – A group of researchers associated with the Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID) wrote a thesis paper on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) as input for the current revision of the Swiss Epidemics Act (EpidA).

The existing Epidemics Act (EpidA) in Switzerland defines a three-stage escalation model which defines a normal, a special, and an extraordinary epidemic situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a test for this escalation model and revealed the need for a revision of the Epidemics Act. Continue reading

How do Swiss junior physicians experience and cope with moral distress?

How do Swiss junior physicians experience.. Teaser Pic

16.11.2022 - A new study led by Prof. Sofia Zambrano will seek answers to this question. The study was one of four applications recently selected for funding by the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences through the KZS Fund. Continue reading

«The World in Crisis - Climate Change, Pandemic and War», MMS Symposium, 2. November 2022

The World in Crisis - Climate Change, Pandemic and War, MMS Symposium symbol pic

19.10.2023 – Climate deterioration, an ongoing pandemic and war in Europe: the world is currently facing multiple crisis, the management of which challenges societies worldwide and threatens to overwhelm international politics. Each individual crisis and in their mutual impact worsen the determinants of health, such as food security, social and economic development, equitable access to health care and social systems. Continue reading

Best presentation at Papua New Guinea Medical Symposium 2022 for project likely to lead to implementation

Dr. Alice Mengi from the Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research (PNGIMR), won the Deborah Lehmann prize for her presentation of the Neofoot (the Neonatal Footlength Study).

21.09.2022 – Dr. Alice Mengi from the Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research (PNGIMR), won the Deborah Lehmann prize for her presentation of the Neofoot (the Neonatal Footlength Study). Dr. Mengi is the clinical research officer for a Swiss Research for Development project led by ISPM Bern and PNGIMR. She conducted the Neofoot project for her Masters of Medical Research. Continue reading

Best abstract awards at the European Respiratory Society Congress 2022

19.09.2022 – Eva Pedersen and Myrofora Goutaki received two of the Best Abstract awards at this year´s European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona for their submitted research on primary ciliary dyskinesia. The European Lung Foundation (ELF) awards a travel grant to the Best Abstract in Patient Centred Research to the abstract submitted at the congress, which best demonstrates the most effective and impactful example of patient involvement in medical research. Continue reading

Congratulations to Christoph Bosshard as one of the teachers of the year!

16.09.2022 – The 5th year medical students at the medical faculty have elected Dr. med. Christoph Bosshard as «teacher of the year» during the 2020 corona year for his teaching of insurance medicine. For the first time in many years, a lecturer – Dr. med. Christoph Bosshard – at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine was elected «teacher of the year» by the medical students. Continue reading

National Institutes of Health supplement grants for HIV, Hepatitis and Tuberculosis and Cancer research groups

14.09.2022 – Under the umbrella of the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS Southern Africa (IeDEA-SA) – a consortium funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) – two supplement grants totaling 660,000 USD were awarded to researchers at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) for 2022–2023 to study tuberculosis (TB) and cancer among people living with HIV. Continue reading

The work of Anna Severin and colleagues from ISPM Bern, the Swiss National Science Foundation and University College Dublin was recently featured in nature.

02.09.2022 – Anna, a PhD student at ISPM, is interviewed about her work that was reported in a preprint article in July. Analysing 10,000 peer review reports submitted to Publons, the team, found that reviews at journals with higher impact factors spend more time discussing a paper’s methods but less time on suggesting improvements than do reviews at lower-impact journals. However, the differences between high- and low-impact journals were modest and variability was high, suggesting that a journal’s impact factor is “a bad predictor for the quality of review of an individual manuscript”. Continue reading

ISPM Researchers at the “Night of Research” event of the University of Bern

31.08.2022 – Members of the MHCOVID project will present their work to the public in the “Nacht der Forschung” event that will take place in Bern on 10^th September Continue reading

The Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study celebrated its 15th birthday

09.08.2022 – The Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study is a nationwide study and investigates health, quality of life and needs after childhood and adolescent cancer. The study was set up and launched in 2007 in close collaboration with survivors, their families and treating physicians. This year, the Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study celebrates its 15th birthday! Continue reading

Prof. Nicola Low is the vice-chair of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country monkeypox outbreak

22.07.2022 – The Emergency Committee holds its second meeting on Thursday 21st July 2022. The committee members (chaired by Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele) will provide their views to the Director General of the World Health Organization, who will determine whether the multi-country monkeypox outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Following the first meeting of the Emergency Committee on 23 June 2022, the Director General determined that the event did not constitute a PHEIC. Continue reading

Emma Hodcroft wins 2022 Johanna Dürmüller-Bol DBMR Research Award

11.07.2022 – Dr Emma Hodcroft of ISPM and the Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID) at the University of Bern is the recipient of the 2022 Johanna Dürmüller-Bol DBMR Research Award for her project on investigating the impact of pandemic restrictions on the spread of the respiratory virus, Enterovirus D68. The yearly award, which provides 30,000CHF in research funds toward the winning project proposal, supports young researchers in applying for competitive grants and is sponsored by the Foundation Johanna Dürmüller-Bol and the Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR). Continue reading

Healthy weight as a multifaceted societal challenge – commentary on the impact of BMI on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness

08.07.2022 – In an invited comment in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, Annelies Wilder-Smith, MD, PhD, ISPM adjunct professor, and Annika Frahsa, Prof. Dr. phil., head of the ISPM research group on community health and health care systems research, discuss a recently published paper from a large UK cohort study on associations of BMI with COVID-19 vaccine uptake, vaccine effectiveness, and risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes that the paper’s findings not only underscore the importance of vaccination, but also the importance of reducing the prevalence of obesity. Continue reading

Katayoun Taghavi has been awarded a Postdoc.Mobility grant by the Swiss National Science Foundation

29.06.2022 – Katayoun will work under the supervision of Dr. Partha Basu, at the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Katayoun’s Postdoc.Mobility project is part of a large implementation study, «SHE-CAN» (Self-collected HPV Evaluation for the Prevention of Cervical CANcer), which aims to develop a scalable, woman-centred model for cervical cancer screening in vulnerable women in two states of India, Tamil Nadu and Mizoram. Continue reading

Recruitment started for DTG Resist study

29.06.2022 – The first participant of the multiregional DTG Resist study has been recruited in Zambia mid-June. The DTG Resist study is sponsored by the US National Institute of Health and aims at understanding the contexts in which Dolutegravir (DTG) resistance emerges. Continue reading

5 million CHF to make routine data from children’s hospitals available for science

21.06.2022 – The project SwissPedHealth, newly funded by the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) and the Personalized Health and Related Technologies (PHRT), will make routine clinical data from children’s hospitals available in a standardized format and thus boost high-quality clinical research in Paediatrics in Switzerland. Continue reading

SGP talent prize 2022 winner

Carmen de Jong with SGP talent prize 2022

08.06.2022 – Carmen de Jong, graduated PhD student in the paediatric respiratory health group at the institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), won the talent prize 2022 at the Schweizer Gesellschaft für Pädiatrie (SGP) Conference held in Lucerne on 2nd and 3rd June 2022. Continue reading

Prof. Schwappach joins the ISPM to establish as research focus on patient safety, supported by a cooperation between the Swiss Medical Association (FMH) and the ISPM

23.05.2022 – Unsafe care causes serious harm and burden to patients and health care staff, and is a public health concern even in well-funded health care systems. In his research, Prof. Schwappach aims to understand the drivers of safer care and how healthcare systems can be designed to improve patient safety and learn from adverse events. Continue reading

Teenage Pregnancy - How do We Address the Needs and Rights of Teenage Girls?

22.04.2022 – Medicus Mundi Switzerland invites you to this special 1-Day Conference! Wednesday 18 May 2022 from 9am - 16pm. Speakers will talk about the current situation on teenage pregnancy, prevention activities in India, Cameroon and El Salvador and how to scale up prevention activities to reduced teenage pregnancy on the national level. We will hear case studies and will discuss and debate about what works and what we can do to improve the rights and needs of teenage girls and boys. Continue reading

Awards for best publication and best presentation at the Swiss Pulmonology Congress 2022

12.04.2022 – Eva Pedersen received the award “Best publication by a young researcher” from the Swiss Lung Association and Yin Ting Lam was awarded the prize for the best presentation from the Swiss Society of Paediatric Pulmonology. Continue reading

Research project on the transmission of viral respiratory pathogens in schools

15.03.2022 – Congregate settings, such as schools play an important role in the spread of airborne pathogens. A better understanding of viral pathogens transmitted through the air, such as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and influenza viruses (flu), is needed. Researchers from the University of Bern and Inselspital, including Professor Tina Hascher from the Institute of Education, are currently working under the lead of Professor Lukas Fenner from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine to investigate the transmission of viral pathogens in school settings in the current pandemic. Continue reading

International Cancer Survivor Symposium 2022 welcomed almost 200 participants

16.02.2022 – International Cancer Survivor Symposium 2022 welcomed almost 200 participants worldwide to discuss latest developments and future directions of care for cancer survivors. Continue reading

PD Dr. Christian Althaus starts lecture series at Collegium generale

16.02.2022 – The Collegium generale at the University of Bern begins a new new lecture series titled «Thinking the End». On Wednesday, 23 February 2022, PD Dr. Christian Althaus will give the first lecture with his thoughts about the end of a pandemic. Continue reading

European Respiratory Journal – new early career editor and peer review award 2021

31.01.2022 – Cristina Ardura-Garcia selected for the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) Early Career Editorial Team mentoring programme and Eva Pedersen receives the 2021 ERJ peer review award. Continue reading

Congratulations! Dr. Kathrin Zürcher wins GCB PhD student award

28.01.2022 – As part of the doctoral training, the Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB) organizes an annual symposium for all PhD candidates and their thesis committees. This year, GCB’s PhD committee has elected Dr. Kathrin Züricher and two other candidates for the GCB award. This is not her first prize: in 2019 she received the swissTB Award together with Marie Ballif. Continue reading

A study led by a researcher of ISPM, the most influential climate paper in 2021

Analysis: The climate papers most featured in the media in 2021

26.01.2022 – The study led by Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera, researcher of ISPM, and entitled «The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change» has been the most featured research on climate change in media in 2021, according to Carbon Brief, an award-winning website focused on climate change. This work, published in June 2021 in Nature Climate Change, shows for the first time the actual contribution of man-made climate change in increasing mortality risks due to heat. Continue reading

Postmarketing surveillance of breakthrough SMA therapies

03.01.2022 – The Swiss Registry for Neuromuscular Disorders (Swiss-Reg-NMD) collects medical data on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and other rare neuromuscular disorders. It also now provides a national platform for postmarketing surveillance of new disease-modifying therapies and research on rare neuromuscular disorders. Continue reading

Read the 2021 news

News 2022

Thesis paper on the escalation model of the Swiss Epidemics Act (EpidA)

A group of researchers associated with the Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID) wrote a thesis paper on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) as input for the current revision of the Swiss Epidemics Act (EpidA).

How do Swiss junior physicians experience and cope with moral distress?

A new study led by Prof. Sofia Zambrano will seek answers to this question. The study was one of four applications recently selected for funding by the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences through the KZS Fund.

«The World in Crisis - Climate Change, Pandemic and War», MMS Symposium, 2. November 2022

Climate deterioration, an ongoing pandemic and war in Europe: the world is currently facing multiple crisis, the management of which challenges societies worldwide and threatens to overwhelm international politics. Each individual crisis and in their mutual impact worsen the determinants of health, such as food security, social and economic development, equitable access to health care and social systems.

Best presentation at Papua New Guinea Medical Symposium 2022 for project likely to lead to implementation

Dr. Alice Mengi from the Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research (PNGIMR), won the Deborah Lehmann prize for her presentation of the Neofoot (the Neonatal Footlength Study). Dr. Mengi is the clinical research officer for a Swiss Research for Development project led by ISPM Bern and PNGIMR. She conducted the Neofoot project for her Masters of Medical Research.

Best abstract awards at the European Respiratory Society Congress 2022

Eva Pedersen and Myrofora Goutaki received two of the Best Abstract awards at this year´s European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona for their submitted research on primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Congratulations to Christoph Bosshard as one of the teachers of the year!

The 5th year medical students at the medical faculty have elected Dr. med. Christoph Bosshard as «teacher of the year» during the 2020 corona year for his teaching of insurance medicine.

National Institutes of Health supplement grants for HIV, Hepatitis and Tuberculosis and Cancer research groups

Under the umbrella of the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS Southern Africa (IeDEA-SA)—a consortium funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH)—two supplement grants totaling 660,000 USD were awarded to researchers at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) for 2022–2023 to study tuberculosis (TB) and cancer among people living with HIV.

The work of Anna Severin and colleagues from ISPM Bern, the Swiss National Science Foundation and University College Dublin was recently featured in nature.

Anna, a PhD student at ISPM, is interviewed about her work that was reported in a preprint article in July. Analysing 10,000 peer review reports submitted to Publons, the team, found that reviews at journals with higher impact factors spend more time discussing a paper’s methods but less time on suggesting improvements than do reviews at lower-impact journals.

ISPM Researchers at the “Night of Research” event of the University of Bern

Members of the MHCOVID project will present their work to the public in the “Nacht der Forschung” event that will take place in Bern on 10th September.

The Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study celebrated its 15th birthday!

The Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study is a nationwide study and investigates health, quality of life and needs after childhood and adolescent cancer. The study was set up and launched in 2007 in close collaboration with survivors, their families and treating physicians. This year, the Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study celebrates its 15th birthday!

Prof. Nicola Low vice-chair of IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country monkeypox outbreak

The Emergency Committee holds its second meeting on Thursday 21st July 2022. The committee members (chaired by Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele) will provide their views to the Director General of the World Health Organization, who will determine whether the multi-country monkeypox outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Following the first meeting of the Emergency Committee on 23 June 2022, the Director General determined that the event did not constitute a PHEIC.

Emma Hodcroft wins 2022 Johanna Dürmüller-Bol DBMR Research Award

Dr Emma Hodcroft of ISPM and the Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID) at the University of Bern is the recipient of the 2022 Johanna Dürmüller-Bol DBMR Research Award for her project on investigating the impact of pandemic restrictions on the spread of the respiratory virus, Enterovirus D68. The yearly award, which provides 30,000CHF in research funds toward the winning project proposal, supports young researchers in applying for competitive grants and is sponsored by the Foundation Johanna Dürmüller-Bol and the Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR).

Healthy weight as a multifaceted societal challenge – commentary on the impact of BMI on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness

In an invited comment in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, Annelies Wilder-Smith, MD, PhD, ISPM adjunct professor, and Annika Frahsa, Prof. Dr. phil., head of the ISPM research group on community health and health care systems research, discuss a recently published paper from a large UK cohort study on associations of BMI with COVID-19 vaccine uptake, vaccine effectiveness, and risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes that the paper’s findings not only underscore the importance of vaccination, but also the importance of reducing the prevalence of obesity.

Katayoun Taghavi has been awarded a Postdoc.Mobility grant by the Swiss National Science Foundation

Katayoun will work under the supervision of Dr. Partha Basu, at the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Katayoun’s Postdoc.Mobility project is part of a large implementation study, «SHE-CAN» (Self-collected HPV Evaluation for the Prevention of Cervical CANcer), which aims to develop a scalable, woman-centred model for cervical cancer screening in vulnerable women in two states of India, Tamil Nadu and Mizoram.

Teenage Pregnancy - How do We Address the Needs and Rights of Teenage Girls?

Medicus Mundi Switzerland invites you to this special 1-Day Conference! Wednesday 18 May 2022 from 9am - 16pm. Speakers will talk about the current situation on teenage pregnancy, prevention activities in India, Cameroon and El Salvador and how to scale up prevention activities to reduced teenage pregnancy on the national level. We will hear case studies and will discuss and debate about what works and what we can do to improve the rights and needs of teenage girls and boys.

Recruitment started for DTG Resist study

The first participant of the multiregional DTG Resist study has been recruited in Zambia mid-June. The DTG Resist study is sponsored by the US National Institute of Health and aims at understanding the contexts in which Dolutegravir (DTG) resistance emerges.

5 million CHF to make routine data from children’s hospitals available for science

The project SwissPedHealth, newly funded by the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) and the Personalized Health and Related Technologies (PHRT), will make routine clinical data from children’s hospitals available in a standardized format and thus boost high-quality clinical research in Paediatrics in Switzerland.

SGP talent prize 2022 winner

Carmen de Jong, graduated PhD student in the paediatric respiratory health group at the institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), won the talent prize 2022 at the Schweizer Gesellschaft für Pädiatrie (SGP) Conference held in Lucerne on 2nd and 3rd June 2022.

Annual report ISPM 2021

The annual report ISPM 2021 is online.

Prof. Schwappach joins the ISPM to establish as research focus on patient safety

Unsafe care causes serious harm and burden to patients and health care staff, and is a public health concern even in well-funded health care systems. In his research, Prof. David Schwappach aims to understand the drivers of safer care and how healthcare systems can be designed to improve patient safety and learn from adverse events.

Awards for best publication and best presentation at the Swiss Pulmonology Congress 2022

Eva Pedersen received the award “Best publication by a young researcher” from the Swiss Lung Association and Yin Ting Lam was awarded the prize for the best presentation from the Swiss Society of Paediatric Pulmonology.

Research project on the transmission of viral respiratory pathogens in schools

Congregate settings, such as schools play an important role in the spread of airborne pathogens. A better understanding of viral pathogens transmitted through the air, such as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and influenza viruses (flu), is needed. Researchers from the University of Bern and Inselspital, including Professor Tina Hascher from the Institute of Education, are currently working under the lead of Professor Lukas Fenner from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine to investigate the transmission of viral pathogens in school settings in the current pandemic.

International Cancer Survivor Symposium 2022 symbol picture

International Cancer Survivor Symposium 2022 welcomed almost 200 participants

International Cancer Survivor Symposium 2022 welcomed almost 200 participants worldwide to discuss latest developments and future directions of care for cancer survivors.

PD Dr. Christian Althaus starts lecture series at Collegium generale

The Collegium generale at the University of Bern begins a new new lecture series titled «Thinking the End». On Wednesday, 23 February 2022, PD Dr. Christian Althaus will give the first lecture with his thoughts about the end of a pandemic.

Coronavirus News & Updates

During the international public health emergency, the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) at the University of Bern provides information and resources about the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic for scientists, public health experts, journalists and the public.

European Respiratory Journal – new early career editor and peer review award 2021

Cristina Ardura-Garcia selected for the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) Early Career Editorial Team mentoring programme and Eva Pedersen receives the 2021 ERJ peer review award.

Congratulations! Dr. Kathrin Zürcher wins GCB PhD student award

As part of the doctoral training, the Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB) organizes an annual symposium for all PhD candidates and their thesis committees. This year, GCB’s PhD committee has elected Dr. Kathrin Züricher and two other candidates for the GCB award. This is not her first prize: in 2019 she received the swissTB Award together with Marie Ballif.

A study led by a researcher of ISPM, the most influential climate paper in 2021

The study led by Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera, researcher of ISPM, and entitled «The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change» has been the most featured research on climate change in media in 2021, according to Carbon Brief, an award-winning website focused on climate change.

Postmarketing surveillance of breakthrough SMA therapies

The Swiss Registry for Neuromuscular Disorders (Swiss-Reg-NMD) collects medical data on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and other rare neuromuscular disorders. It also now provides a national platform for postmarketing surveillance of new disease-modifying therapies and research on rare neuromuscular disorders.

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