Swiss TPH Annual Report 2021 by Swiss TPH

ANNUAL REPORT 2021

WHAT’S INSIDE 3 6 10 17 24 34 41 51

Preface Future Perspectives Facts & Figures In Retrospect Insights Our Impact Committees & Departments Finances

PREFACE “Together, we can make the world a healthier place” Greetings from “Belo Horizonte” — the new Swiss TPH headquarters in Allschwil, Switzerland! I write this preface from the fourth floor of our new home, where nearly 700 employees and students from 80 nations now study, pursue research and work under one roof.

I am proud of the crucial contributions made to the improvement of global health by Swiss TPH colleagues together with our partners from all over the world, demonstrating that through deep commitment and partnership, we can move mountains.

2021 was another year overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which challenged our health and social systems and tested societies in an unprecedented way. Despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the power of research, innovation and collaboration prevailed. Safe and efficacious vaccines against COVID-19 were developed, validated and deployed at a speed never heralded before. Unfortunately, we also saw that access to these commodities was unequally distributed, which requires global action for preventing and managing future disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics in the future.

Resilience and growth

Throughout 2021, the scientific community continued to play an essential role in the creation of novel diagnostics, drugs and vaccines against other persisting diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases and non-communicable diseases, while simultaneously contributing to pressing public health topics such as air pollution and climate change.

Swiss TPH employees and students continued to pursue our mission of improving people’s health and well-being through excellence in research, education and services. We worked across our eight strategic topics, ranging from infection biology and molecular epidemiology to statistical and mathematical modelling. For the first time ever, we published more than 600 scientific papers in the peer-reviewed literature. Our scope of activities continued to grow and we maintained a consistent portfolio of projects, as well as acquired new, competitive project grants and service mandates. At the end of 2021, we had 262 active projects in 133 countries that contributed to 14 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most importantly SDG 3 “Ensuring healthy lives and promoting health and well-being for all”. Additionally, we expanded into new topic areas such as nutrition and antimicrobial resistance. Indeed, our expertise was increasingly sought after in Basel, across Switzerland

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Preface and internationally. Thanks to the dedication and passion of our staff, students and trusted partners, we were able to translate knowledge into action, and hence, take science to impact. A pivotal moment for Swiss TPH was the signing of the new performance agreement with the University of Basel that provides a slight increase in core contributions to Swiss TPH, assuring stability for our future. With this and our increased funding from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the two Basel cantons from the year before, Swiss TPH is now in an excellent position to address global health’s greatest challenges. Transformation and change On 1 April 2022, Swiss TPH’s new headquarters “Belo Horizonte” officially opened in Allschwil. The new, modern building, which was masterfully designed by Basel architects Kunz und Mösch, includes five floors of innovative working areas, cutting-edge laboratories and biobanks, as well as seminar rooms, a library and our cafeteria, Belo Café. The building was the largest and most complex project that Swiss TPH ever pursued. Thanks to stringent project organisation, clear roles and responsibility and the tireless efforts by all individuals involved, the project was completed in time and within budget. Trust and respect at all levels were key ingredients of this project. Swiss TPH is now located in the midst of an emerging, dynamic life science and biotech cluster, which continues to attract additional research institutes, start-ups and private companies. Indeed, a bustling ecosystem for interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship is underway in the BaseLink area in Allschwil.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Perseverance and progress As the world is learning to live with COVID-19 and other health threats, we must ensure that as a global community, we are better prepared for when, inevitably, future threats arise. Pandemic preparedness is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a must in order to ensure societies are equipped, have appropriate surveillance systems in place, and react quickly and efficiently to emerging and re-emerging challenges. We must work together to ensure that we do not only persevere, but thrive. Swiss TPH is ready to play its part, be a leader and put our unique and expansive network into action. I would like to thank all of our staff and students, partners and funders for the terrific collaboration and partnership. Together, we will continue towards our mission of making the world a healthier place.

Prof. Dr. Jürg Utzinger Director, Swiss TPH

Preface

→ From left to right: Renato Mösch, Conradin Cramer, Martina Hirayama, Jürg Utzinger, Monica Gschwind, Nicole Nüssli-Kaiser, Andreas Burckhardt, Marcel Tanner, Nicole Probst-Hensch, Philipp Kunz, Torsten Schwede and Stefan Mörgeli at the inauguration of Swiss TPH’s headquarters on 1 April 2022.

→ On 1 April 2022, the new Swiss TPH headquarters opened on the BaseLink site, an emerging life science cluster in Allschwil. Around 700 employees and students will now work, study and pursue research in the new building.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

FUTURE PERSPECTIVES A Lasting Commitment to Swiss TPH Dr. Andreas Burckhardt has been Chairman of the Board of Governors – the chief advisory board of Swiss TPH – since 2016. He will be stepping down from his role at the end of 2022. He joined us to discuss how the Board of Governors works, the opportunities presented by Swiss TPH’s new headquarters, and the institute’s role in fighting future pandemics.

“The first time we spoke was just before you became Chairman of the Board of Governors in 2016. Back then, you stressed that fundamentally, you didn’t want to do anything too different from your predecessor, Prof. Dr. Felix Gutzwiller. Looking back now, do you feel the same?”

entific community and society at large. My great asset as a member of the Board of Governors has been the fact that I am familiar with the political landscape in northwestern Switzerland. There are some significant differences in terms of culture and expectations between the urban Canton of Basel-Stadt and the more rural Canton of Basel-Landschaft, as well as between the various political parties and between the cantonal governments and the Swiss federal government. Navigating that landscape takes experience and political skill.”

Dr. Andreas Burckhardt: “I believe in the value of continuity. I am not the kind of person who comes into a new job and immediately turns everything upside down. My task was to bring my work and leadership experience in politics and the private sector to benefit Swiss TPH. You can’t do that by acting like a general; the only way to do it is to lis- “What have you achieved for Swiss TPH in your ten, take account of changes in the environment time as Chairman?” around you, and work together with other people to find solutions. A Chairman is not supposed to Dr. Andreas Burckhardt: “One important milework towards a monument of his own.” stone has been completing the new Swiss TPH headquarters on the BaseLink site in Allschwil, “How do you see the role of the Board of Governors? and doing it on time. We celebrated the grand Is it an advisory body or more like an executive opening on 1 April 2022. I was the Chair of the board, actively influencing the strategic position steering committee on that project, so I was in of Swiss TPH?” more of a supervisory role rather than involved in the day-to-day operations.” Dr. Andreas Burckhardt: “Swiss TPH’s strategic aim and overall scientific direction needs to be “What opportunities do you think the new building identified and implemented by Swiss TPH’s Di- will bring for Swiss TPH as far as research, educarectorate. For the Board of Governors, it’s more a tion and services are concerned?” question of how we reconcile that direction with our budget constraints. Above all, the Board of Dr. Andreas Burckhardt: “The new building is an Governors acts as the bridge between Swiss TPH, important moment for the institute. For the first the private sector and politics, as well as the sci- time in its history, Swiss TPH now has the chance

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Future Perspectives

are increasing calls for the creation of a national centre of excellence to be set up. To what extent do you think Swiss TPH could take on that role of a centre of excellence?” Dr. Andreas Burckhardt: “Swiss TPH’s public health expertise is unique within Switzerland. When it comes to the COVID– 19 pandemic, and indeed future pandemics, it is not just a question of understanding individual viruses and how they spread, but also about modelling and monitoring epidemiological risks, taking into consideration mental health, the complex interplay between veterinary and human medicine and other topics of concern. Swiss TPH brings all of that expertise together under one roof.” “You will be handing over to your successor as Chairman or Chairwoman of the Board of Governors on 1 January 2023. What advice will you give to that person?”

to set up a unique infrastructure to help the staff of some 900 individuals continue to make major contributions to improving global health, both now and in the future. That work will take place in an innovative environment focused on life sciences, one that promotes an exchange between industry, the scientific community and many start-ups.” “In contrast to the University of Basel, which has its various departments located in the city, the new Swiss TPH building is almost a bit isolated. Is there any danger of science shutting itself off from society?” Dr. Andreas Burckhardt: “I don’t think so. Despite being in the city, some of the university’s departments are highly fragmented. That creates a risk that the different departments become disconnected from each other, when really everyone should be looking beyond their own specialist areas and boundaries towards multidisciplinary collaboration. This fragmentation leads to tunnel vision. The COVID– 19 pandemic has made the shortcomings of that tunnel vision all too obvious. This demonstrates the benefits of bringing diverse disciplines together in an emerging life-science hub.” “Switzerland is looking to reform the way it prepares for and fights pandemics in the future. There

Dr. Andreas Burckhardt: “Maintaining a good relationship between the Board of Governors and the Directorate is absolutely essential. As far as Swiss TPH’s scientific work is concerned, the Board of Governors has to be able to rely on the Directorate, so one of the Board of Governors’ most important jobs is to make sure the Directorate is capable of meeting its challenges. At the same time, it is also crucial for the Board of Governors to remain anchored in the scientific community, in politics and in business.” Dr. Andreas Burckhardt A member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he was a part of the Basel Citizens Parliament from 1981 to 1989 and served as member of the Citizens Council and President of the Bürgerspital Basel from 1989 to 1997. He became a member of the Grand Council in 1997. Burckhardt reached the pinnacle of his political career in 2006/2007 when he became President of the Grand Council. After years in the legal department of a fiduciary company and an insurance company, he was Director of the Basel Chamber of Commerce from 1994 to 2001. Burckhardt was Chairman of the Executive Board of Bâloise Holding AG between 2011 and 2021. He has been Chairman of the Board of Governors since 1 January 2016, working tirelessly to promote the interests of Swiss TPH.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Future Perspectives

→ Swiss TPH has a specialised vector biology unit with cutting-edge facilities in the new Swiss TPH headquarters.

→ Swiss TPH and partners develop and validate new drugs against parasitic worm infections.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

“I am very motivated to serve my community as a paediatrician in the hospital of Kisantu. We live in an area where malaria is endemic and poses a major threat to young children. My hope lies in the results of a study conducted by Swiss TPH for a new treatment of malaria for newborn babies and infants.” Calvin Luyeye, Medical doctor, Kisantu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and partner of Swiss TPH

FACTS & FIGURES Together with our partners, we currently work on 262 projects in 133 countries.

209

907

Employees based abroad

Employees at Swiss TPH

≥ 10 projects ≥ 5 projects ≥ 1 project

Swiss TPH offices

262

Projects to improve people’s health and well-being

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Facts & Figures

698 Employees based in Basel

133

Countries in which we work

Nations represented at Swiss TPH

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Facts & Figures

Swiss TPH is a world-leading institute in global health, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries. By uniquely combining research, education and services, we aim to improve the health and well-being of people through a better understanding of disease and health systems and by acting on this knowledge.

Innovation → Validation → Application

Discover novel diagnostics, drugs and vaccines and develop new approaches and tools

Generate evidence in the field under real-world conditions

Integrate new treatments and approaches into policy and health systems

Swiss TPH works across a value-chain, from innovation and validation to application. Innovations such as new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines or approaches and tools are rigorously validated in real-world settings and applied and integrated into health systems and policies.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Facts & Figures

The five departments at Swiss TPH work across three fields – research, education and services – to improve health globally.

Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH)

Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology (MPI) MPI studies diseases of poverty and develops diagnostics, drugs and vaccines to combat them

EP H

I P M

EPH studies health and diseases in relation to their social, ecological and genetic determinants

Research

S CIH

vic

MED provides clinical and diagnostic services for travellers and conducts clinical research in low-resource settings

S er

MED Medicine (MED)

a ti o

Improving Health

Education and Training (ET)

Swiss Centre for International Health (SCIH)

ET offers local, national and international training programmes and courses at graduate and postgraduate levels

SCIH provides policy advice, project design and management in the area of national and global health

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Facts & Figures

Scientific output: 620 peer-reviewed publications spanning topics such as infectious diseases and public, environmental and occupational health, to immunology and microbiology.

Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Infectious Diseases Tropical Medicine Parasitology Environmental Sciences & Ecology Microbiology Pharmacology & Pharmacy Science & Technology Health Care Sciences & Services Immunology General & Internal Medicine Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Chemistry Research & Experimental Medicine Other Topics

Distribution of “research areas” of Swiss TPH publications in 2021 according to Web of Science (accessed: April 2022)

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Facts & Figures Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides a compass to tackle the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate and health.

Swiss TPH is committed to the achievement of the SDGs, placing particular emphasis on SDG 3 “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” and Universal Health Coverage (UHC). With our research projects and service mandates, we contribute to 14 of the 17 SDGs.

17 12 11

13 14 2

10 9 8 6 5

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

IN RETROSPECT JANUARY New Programme to Tackle Non-Communicable Diseases in Lesotho Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the number one cause of death and disability globally. More than 75 % of premature NCD-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A new Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) programme called ComBaCaL (Community Based chronic disease Care Lesotho), coordinated by SolidarMed, Swiss TPH and partners in Lesotho, aims to tackle NCDs in Lesotho.

→ The study is the first to estimate the mortality burden attributable to air pollution in European cities.

→ ComBaCal builds on long-term experience in HIV/AIDS chronic disease care.

Study Identifies European Cities with Highest Mortality Due to Air Pollution A health impact study estimated the mortality burden attributable to air pollution in over 1,000 European cities. The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, included a ranking of the European cities with the highest rates of mortality attributable to the two air pollutants studied: fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The research project was led by ISGlobal in collaboration with Swiss TPH and Utrecht University.

FEBRUARY Global Action Required to Tackle Hunger and Poverty According to a study by an international team of economists including Swiss TPH, the onset of the COVID– 19 pandemic caused a sharp decline in living standards and rising food insecurity in LMICs across the globe. Published in Science Advances, the study provided novel insights into the collateral damage of the pandemic, and urged the international community to take action to mitigate the impact on the dire hunger and poverty crises.

→ COVID– 19 presented a threat to residents of LMICs who lack social safety nets.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

In Retrospect

→ Researchers conduct community outreach in remote areas in Lesotho.

Improving Access to COVID– 19 Screening and Testing in African Countries A joint initiative between the Botnar Research Centre for Child Health (BRCCH) and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) supported three COVID– 19-related projects, ranging from immunology to diagnostics in LMICs. One of the key projects was led by Swiss TPH and Zambart, which focused on improving access to COVID– 19 screening and testing in Lesotho and Zambia.

Improving Access to Schistosomiasis Treatment for Young Children The Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium received funding for the implementation of the ADOPT programme, which paves the way for the introduction of a child-friendly formulation to treat schistosomiasis in preschool-aged children. Swiss TPH, as a consortium partner, is co-leading the ADOPT programme. → Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic disease caused by parasitic worms.

MARCH Swiss-Tajik Cooperation: Nearly 20 Years of Primary Healthcare Development Two longstanding SDC projects that are implemented by Swiss TPH, Project Sino and the Medical Education Reform Project, came to a close after nearly 20 successful years of primary healthcare development. The projects represent a sustainable partnership between Switzerland and Tajikistan, and serve as a model for other health sector reform initiatives. → Swiss-Tajik cooperation has led to two decades of primary healthcare development.

→ At present, ivermectin is the only efficacious treatment option against Strongyloidiasis.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Promising Treatment Alternative Against Parasitic Worm Infection Strongyloidiasis, a parasitic worm infection caused by strongyloides stercoralis, remains a neglected public health problem with limited treatment options. Swiss TPH researchers conducted the first dose-finding study with moxidectin against strongyloidiasis. The drug could become a treatment alternative to ivermectrin, the only treatment available so far, and help fill the empty anthelminthic drug pipeline.

In Retrospect

APRIL Pollen Season in Switzerland Earlier and More Intense Due to Climate Change A collaborative study between Swiss TPH and the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) confirmed that the rising temperatures over the past three decades have impacted the pollen season in Switzerland. The investigation into pollen due to climate change was published in Science of the Total Environment. → Climate change increases suffering for people allergic to hazel and other species.

→ The need for effective COVID– 19 treatments remains acute, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

ANTICOV: Largest Clinical Trial in Africa to Test New Drug Combination The ANTICOV clinical trial, which is a consortia led by DNDi with partners including Swiss TPH, started the recruitment of participants to test a new drug combination, nitazoxanide and ciclesonide, to treat people with mild-to-moderate COVID– 19 before their cases become severe.

MAY Mathias Kronig Elected New Administrative Director at Swiss TPH Mathias Kronig was elected as the new Administrative Director of Swiss TPH. He succeeds Matthias Schmid-Huberty who led the Department of Administration from January 2018 until August 2020. Kronig has worked in different positions within the Finances / Controlling unit at Swiss TPH since 2003. → Kronig will be a part of the Directorate of Swiss TPH.

JUNE

→ The planet has warmed approximately 1°C over preindustrial times, with more warming predicted.

More than a Third of Heat Deaths Are Linked to Climate Change Between 1991 and 2018, more than a third of all deaths in which heat played a role were attributable to global warming, according to a study in Nature Climate Change. The study was led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the University of Bern with partners including Swiss TPH. The findings provided additional evidence of the necessity to adopt strong mitigation policies to reduce further warming.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

In Retrospect

New Clinical Decision Support Tool Reduces Antibiotic Prescription in Children by a Fourfold A pilot study conducted in Tanzania and Rwanda demonstrated that the quality of care for sick children is improved through the use of clinical decision support algorithms. These algorithms, which have been designed by medical experts through an innovative digital platform called medAL-creator, could prevent millions of unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics each year in Africa, and potentially in Europe.

→ Every year, around 3 million children die from acute febrile episodes, particularly in LMICs.

Swiss TPH Symposium: Global Health in the 21st Century Though much progress has been made in improving global health, many new obstacles have emerged. On 28 – 30 June 2021, Swiss TPH hosted a virtual symposium ‘Global Health in the 21st Century’, which brought together experts from the public, private, non-profit and governmental sectors to discuss the pressing global health issues of our time. → The symposium provided a platform for experts to discuss public health issues.

JULY Nicole Probst-Hensch Elected to SAMS Executive Board Nicole Probst-Hensch became a new member of the Executive Board of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS), representing Swiss TPH on this important scientific body. She was elected for her scientific achievements in public health.

→ Probst-Hensch is the Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Swiss TPH.

→ The re-designation reflects Swiss TPH’s commitment to tackling malaria.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Swiss TPH Re-Designated as WHO Collaborating Centre for Expertise in Malaria Swiss TPH has been re-designated as the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Modelling, Monitoring and Training for Malaria Control and Elimination, following many years of fruitful collaboration with the WHO and partner institutions in Africa. By providing technical advice, Swiss TPH will continue to offer strategic guidance on WHO policies for malaria control and elimination.

In Retrospect

AUGUST Collateral Damage of COVID– 19 on LMICs The COVID– 19 pandemic has had a major impact on human health, the economy and society at large. The control measures indirectly effected people’s health and well-being, particularly in LMICs where the pandemic amplified and deepened existing inequalities. To mitigate the collateral damage, Swiss TPH worked on a myriad of projects to support vulnerable populations around the globe. → There is a need for equitable distribution of vaccines, health interventions and global action.

SEPTEMBER Key Handover for New Building of Swiss TPH On 17 September 2021, the key handover for the new building of Swiss TPH took place in Allschwil. 150 employees and guests attended the event, including representatives of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the University of Basel, the building planners and architects and the municipality of Allschwil.

→ As of 1 April 2022, 700 employees from 80 nations moved into the new Swiss TPH headquarters.

OCTOBER

→ Hope is on the horizon for a shorter treatment regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Clinical Trial Yields Promising Results for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment TBPRACTECAL, a clinical trial led by Médecins Sans Frontières with partners including Swiss TPH, found that a new all-oral treatment regimen for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis is safer and more efficacious than the current accepted standard of care. These results signal the start of a new chapter for patients who often endure grueling treatment regimens that have a catastrophic effect on physical and mental health.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

In Retrospect

NOVEMBER Promising Drug Combination Treatment Against Parasitic Worm Infections In a phase III clinical trial, researchers at Swiss TPH successfully gathered encouraging data to demonstrate higher efficacy of co-administration of ivermectin-albendazole in combating soil-transmitted helminthiasis. The findings were published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. → Soil-transmitted helminths affect one in five people around the world.

People from Low-Income Households Severely Affected by Pandemic The COVCO-Basel study by Swiss TPH investigated the health-related and societal effects of the COVID– 19 pandemic in the Basel region. Results from the study showed that people coming from low-income households are more severely affected by the pandemic, and that rates of depression among this population group have risen. → People with low incomes particularly suffered in the pandemic.

DECEMBER Elimination on the Horizon: Decrease of Schistosomiasis by Nearly 60% In a study by Swiss TPH, researchers found that the prevalence of schistosomiasis among school-aged children decreased by nearly 60 % between 2000 and 2019 due to large-scale drug administration and social and economic development of the African continent. The findings offer hope of elimination for this major neglected tropical disease. The study was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. → Schistosomiasis is a parasitic worm infection that is a major public health problem.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

“I am a Syrian refugee and epidemiology Master’s student. For me, Swiss TPH is more than a place to study; it’s where I have the chance to apply scientific knowledge to enhance population’s health, and it’s where I have formed valuable relationships with people from all over the globe.” Lujain Alchalabi, Master’s Student in Epidemiology at Swiss TPH

INSIGHTS

A New Home for Swiss TPH Around 700 Swiss TPH employees and students have moved into our new headquarters “Belo Horizonte” in Allschwil, Switzerland. Located within an emerging life-science cluster, our new building allows us to work more collaboratively across our three fields of expertise – research, education and services – to improve health globally.

Belo Horizonte The new Swiss TPH headquarters has five floors of innovative working areas and laboratory places, as well as seminar rooms, a library and cafeteria. The modern building presents many new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange across departments to improve the health and well-being of people.

Belo Café Swiss TPH’s cafeteria, Belo Café, is open to both staff and the public. Run by ZFV, the cafeteria provides fresh and regional options with a focus on sustainable and fair trade production.

Biobanks Large population cohorts with biobanks (long-term studies in which healthy participants donate biological samples) are considered the gold standard for investigating causes of chronic diseases, such as diabetes. The Swiss TPH biobanks store over half a million biological samples such as blood, urine and stool, in refrigerators at – 80°C. Belo Horizonte has the storage capacity for over 1.5 million samples and storage under liquid nitrogen (at – 196°C), enabling the quality of the samples to be maintained. In order to remain internationally competitive and continue to be at the forefront of modern public health research, Switzerland needs an even larger, long-term study with around 100,000 people. Swiss TPH is a Swiss leader in the field of cohort and environmental research and now has the research infrastructure needed to meet these demands.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Diagnostic Centre Approximately 50,000 analyses of dengue virus, Zika virus, yellow fever or parasitic worm infections are performed annually at the Swiss TPH Diagnostic Centre. The samples are sent by physicians, hospitals and laboratories from all over Switzerland and surrounding countries. The Diagnostic Centre is the National Reference Centre of Switzerland for Imported Human Parasitic Diseases. Swiss TPH places an emphasis on the development and validation of new analytical methods and the continuous improvement of existing diagnostic tests.

Multi-functional Workspaces Belo Horizonte offers a mix of individual and co-working spaces, retreat areas, meeting rooms and project zones. The new working environment promotes interdisciplinary exchange, provides an office landscape that fosters creativity, opportunities for interaction, and accommodates the need for retreat and concentration - depending on the work being pursued.

Insights

Laboratories The laboratories are located on the first and second floors and distributed horizontally, guaranteeing first-class research according to the latest safety standards. The size of the laboratories allows Swiss TPH to work on different pathogens simultaneously, positioning us as a leader in basic research on infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

BSL– 3 Laboratories In the new Bio Safety Level 3 (BSL– 3) laboratories, Swiss TPH conducts research on highly infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, Buruli ulcer, Chagas and other neglected tropical diseases, as well as topics such as antibiotic resistance and vaccine development. Because of the risk of infection, activities are only possible in high-security laboratories that require additional safety precautions. Now, we are able to work at the cutting edge of research in a safe way in order to contribute to key global health issues.

Mosquito Labs Swiss TPH has a specialised vector biology unit, with cutting-edge bio-safety facilities. The new mosquito breeding and laboratories enable research with infectious mosquitoes and invasive species such as the Asian tiger mosquito. The mosquito labs enable entomologists to advance research into the physiology, behaviour and ecology of disease-carrying insects, as well as the development of new products to control and monitor them. In addition, mosquitoes can be experimentally infected with malaria parasites under the highest safety standards so that we can better understand the transmission of this disease.

Library Our library has a working area with 24 places for students with about 600 books in the open access area. More than 10,000 additional books are located in the closed stacks; most of them can be borrowed. The library offers a collaborative learning opportunity for Swiss TPH staff and students and the public.

Seminar Rooms Swiss TPH offers bachelor, masters, doctoral and postgraduate programs as well as continuous education and short courses. Our new building has six seminar rooms for courses ranging from epidemiology and infection biology to health care management and clinical research. We have an annual enrollment of 620 students in postgraduate programmes, 180 PhD students and 40 MSc students from over 50 nations.

*The building plan represents the longitudinal cross section of Belo Horizonte. Some elements displayed are actually in the back vs. front of the image that you see here (e.g. the library is behind the seminar rooms). The building plan is courtesy of architects Kunz und Mösch.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

From “Trop peli” to Swiss TPH Almost 80 years ago, the Swiss Tropical Institute was founded and started its journey at Socinstrasse in Basel. Since then, the institute has grown continuously and is known today as the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) after the integration of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine of the University of Basel in 2010. To accommodate the increasing number of staff and students, seven properties on and around Socinstrasse in Basel were rented over the decades. Swiss TPH was bursting at the seams and creativity was needed to accommodate new employees. It was clear to the director at the time, Marcel Tanner, that a solution was needed in which all employees could be united under one roof. In 2015, the parliaments of the cantons of BaselStadt and Basel-Landschaft agreed to a joint treaty of Swiss TPH, thus laying the foundation for the future of Swiss TPH: the new headquarters “Belo Horizonte” in the BaseLink life science cluster in Allschwil, Switzerland. One year later, the Basel-based architectural firm Kunz und Mösch won the competition for the new Swiss TPH building and the construction process began. Just two years after the groundbreaking ceremony in June 2019, the building was officially handed over to Swiss TPH in September 2021. At the end of 2021, staff and students began to move in and the first courses were held in the new seminar rooms in early 2022. Swiss TPH officially arrived in its new home. The building includes attractive multi-space offices and modern laboratories, as well as biobanks, seminar rooms, a library and a cafeteria open to the public. In the words of the Director

Jürg Utzinger, “Belo Horizonte is a quantum leap for Swiss TPH, allowing us to even better realise our mission of making the world a healthier place”. Belo Horizonte The multifunctional building Belo Horizonte (Portuguese for “beautiful horizon”) brings 700 Swiss-based employees and students of Swiss TPH under one roof. The Centre for Tropical and Travel Medicine will remain in the city of Basel. On an area of about 13,000 square meters distributed over five floors, there are 725 workplaces and 150 laboratory places. In addition to a cafeteria, the facilities include a library and seminar rooms. The building was designed by Basel architects Kunz und Mösch. The new Swiss TPH building cost a total of CHF 127 million: CHF 113 million for the building and CHF 14 million for the interior. Financing comes from the cantons of BaselStadt and Basel-Landschaft (CHF 40 million each), the federal government (CHF 23.6 million), Swiss TPH’s own resources (CHF 18.4 million) and the R. Geigy Foundation (CHF 5 million).

Our Impact

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

→ Swiss TPH’s new headquarters includes attractive multi-space offices and creative working areas located throughout the building.

→ The library offers a collaborative learning opportunity for Swiss TPH staff, students and the public.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

“I came from Palestine to Switzerland to pursue a PhD in Epidemiology with a focus on Biostatistics. My PhD is on mental health, with the aim to shed light on effective primary healthcare approaches to shape healthy minds and habits. I would like to apply this knowledge to Palestine, so that I can make a positive impact on improving health.”

Our Impact

Ranin Darkhawaja, PhD Student in Epidemiology, Swiss TPH

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

OUR IMPACT

MA 34

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Our mission is to make the world a healthier place. We ensure that we achieve this by continuously assessing the impact that our activities have on people and populations, reporting on the progress that we make within our strategic goals and topics and demonstrating our contri-

LD A HEAL R O W TH E IE TH R PL

For nearly 80 years, we have grown and developed our activities and strengthened partnerships around the world. Through our three strategic goals – excellence in science, taking science to impact and mutual learning for sustainable development – we commit to improving the health and well-being of people through a unique combination of research, education and services.

bution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, we are proud to share some highlights of the progress that we have made within our eight strategic topics which range from environment and health to statistical and mathematical modelling.

Our Impact

Strategic Topics The diverse portfolio of projects, initiatives and programmes at Swiss TPH are grouped into eight strategic topics (STOs). In each STO, we work across departments and along our value chain,

from innovation and validation to application, to improve health on a global scale. The STOs reflect key emerging issues in global health and are linked to the SDGs.

STO– 1

STO– 5

Infection Biology and Molecular Epidemiology Generating new insight into the biology and molecular epidemiology of poverty-related infectious diseases.

Society and Civic Engagement Striving for social justice in health and engaging with people in the process. STO– 6

STO– 2

Diagnostics, Vector Control, Vaccines and New Drugs Developing, validating and applying drugs, diagnostics, vaccines, vector control measures and computational tools for the improvement of global health. STO– 3

Personalised and Digital Health Defining markers for disease control and surveillance and conducting research using cohorts and biobanks by means of longitudinal characterisation of participants. STO– 4

Environment and Health Improving the health and well-being of people by addressing determinants of health in humanenvironmental systems.

Health Systems and Interventions Translating evidence and strengthening health systems and policies. STO– 7

Mobility, Migration and Outbreak Investigation Assessing the healthcare needs in mobile populations, internally displaced people and international refugees, while maintaining an institutional expert group for outbreak investigation. STO– 8

Statistical and Mathematical Modelling Generating evidence on disease and health through the development and application of computational, statistical and mathematical modelling of biological disease and epidemi ological data.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Our Impact

STO– 1

Infection Biology and Molecular Epidemiology

STO– 3

Personalised and Digital Health

SNSF Grants Awarded to Junior Principal Investigators

An Application to Diagnose and Treat Childhood Diseases

Swiss TPH scientists were awarded two Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) grants to do research on tuberculosis and malaria for the next four years. One project aims to gain knowledge on the intrinsic differential immune traits that defines a protective immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), while the other aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that allow the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum to monitor its immediate environment and optimize survival and transmission under varying conditions. Both grants were awarded to two junior principal investigators of Swiss TPH, Damien Portevin and Nicolas Brancucci.

Swiss TPH launched an electronic application to improve the quality of healthcare for children under five years old in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and local health authorities. ALMANACH, short for Algorithm for the Management of Childhood Illness, is a user-friendly application that can be installed on tablets or smartphones and is being used by nurses and community health workers to properly diagnose and treat common childhood diseases. The application has been successfully implemented in Nigeria and will soon be rolled out in Somalia.

STO– 2

Diagnostics, Vector Control, Vaccines and New Drugs

Testing Malaria Drugs in a Real-Life Setting The CARAMAL project, an implementation study that was run over the past four years, aimed to contribute to reducing malaria mortality in children globally by improving the community management of severe malaria cases. Results of this study conducted by Swiss TPH, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), UNICEF, and in-country partners were unexpected: when looking at the impact of rectal artesunate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria and Uganda, researchers found that it had a positive impact in Uganda, but an inverse affect in the DRC and Nigeria. This demonstrated that clinical trial outcomes may not be reflective of real-life situations, highlighting the importance of functioning health systems for successful interventions.

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STO 4

Environment and Health

Global Guidelines for Better Air Quality The World Health Organization (WHO) launched new air quality guidelines, which aim to protect the health of populations by reducing key air pollutants. Drawing on expertise from over 30 years of research on air pollution and health, Swiss TPH contributed to the new set of guidelines by generating evidence through multiple long-term studies and providing policy advice. The guidelines will serve as a tool for policy makers to guide legislation to combat air pollution and climate change. Countries can use the guidelines as a tool to support the selection and adoption of measures to reduce exposure to air pollution, strengthening multisectoral cooperation, advocating for air quality and climate action, and taking effective steps to reduce health inequities related to air pollution.

STO– 1 → Swiss TPH generates insight into the biology and molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases.

STO– 4 → Swiss TPH contributed to the new set of WHO air quality guidelines.

STO– 2 → The CARAMAL project worked towards improving community management of severe malaria cases.

STO– 3 → ALMANACH is a user-friendly application that can be installed on tablets or smartphones.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

STO– 5 → Distrust and violence against healthcare workers often diminishes the effectiveness of health system interventions.

STO– 7 → NIIDS is a novel integrated infectious disease diagnosis and surveillance system.

STO– 8 → Scientists at Swiss TPH contributed to the malaria vaccine from discovery to preclinical studies, through to clinical testing.

STO– 6 → Swiss TPH works to empower district managers and local actors to address pressing health challenges.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Our Impact

STO– 5

Society and Civic Engagement

Reducing Violence in Healthcare Distrust and violence against healthcare workers by patients, affiliated third parties or co-workers is a humanitarian issue that often reduces the effectiveness of health system interventions. Swiss TPH, together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and local partners, is researching the effectiveness of de-escalation trainings and structural interventions to prevent violence in health facilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and in Iraq.

STO– 6

Health Systems and Interventions

Implementing Health Interventions in Complex Systems Health systems are multifaceted and differ based on context and stakeholder’s competing priorities. Interventions designed to improve population health can be challenging to apply across different settings and take to scale. Swiss TPH experts facilitated the implementation of health interventions by applying a “systems thinking” approach, influencing health policy and working within local health systems, paying particular attention to the engagement of those directly concerned: health workers, patients and the public. Swiss TPH works with the WHO Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research to empower district managers and local actors in Botswana, Pakistan and Timor-Leste in the application of system’s thinking tools to address the most pressing, current health challenges.

STO– 7

Mobility, Migration and Outbreak Investigation

Novel Diagnostics to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health To support migrant and refugee health, Swiss TPH, the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) and other partners are developing a novel integrated infectious disease diagnosis and surveillance system (NIIDS) in Ethiopia, where there are currently over 800,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. The project will assess healthcare needs of migrants and refugees, as well as set up a platform to support the diagnosis and management of clinically relevant infectious diseases in these vulnerable populations. Supported by the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation, this tool will subsequently serve as a ready-to-use diagnostic system for surveillance and disease severity assessment at the primary healthcare level.

STO– 8

Statistical and Mathematical Modelling

WHO Recommends Ground-Breaking Malaria Vaccine The WHO endorsed the widespread use of the malaria vaccine, marking the first step in a process that should lead to broad distribution in low- and middle-income countries. The vaccine assists a child’s immune system to prevent an infection by Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest of the five malaria pathogens and the most common in Africa. Swiss TPH has played a leading role thanks to decades of research and development of new malaria vaccines. For 13 years, the Disease Modelling unit at Swiss TPH contributed through building models of the likely impact and cost-effectiveness of the vaccine. Modelling was an important part of this recommendation by estimating the effect of the vaccine beyond what was shown in the trial studies, and helped to show the impact of the vaccine on saving lives and averting disease.

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“ My team and I work in the field of clinical immunology in infectious diseases. We aim to understand what constitutes a protective immune response against malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. Innovative, efficacious vaccines would close essential gaps in the fight against these major public health problems.” Claudia Daubenberger, Head of the Clinical Immunology unit, Swiss TPH

COMMIT TEES & DEPARTMENTS Directorate and Board of Governors Directorate

Board of Governors

Directorate

Dr. Andreas Burckhardt Chairman of the Board of Governors, Bâloise Holding AG (until April 2021)

Prof. Dr. Jürg Utzinger Director Prof. Dr. Kaspar Wyss Deputy Director

Additional Members of the Managing Board Prof. Dr. Julia Bohlius Prof. Dr. Sébastien Gagneux Prof. Dr. Daniel Paris Prof. Dr. Nicole ProbstHensch Mathias Kronig

Dr. Rolf Borner Director Infrastructure & Operations, University of Basel Dr. Ariane Bürgin Head of Higher Education, Cantonal Department of Education, Basel Prof. Dr. François Chappuis Head of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine Division, Geneva University Hospitals Prof. Dr. Sabina De Geest Director, Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel Dr. Doris Fellenstein Wirth Head of the Department for Vocational, Secondary and Higher Education, Basel-Landschaft (deceased: 12.02.22)

R. Geigy Foundation: Foundation Board and Administration Dr. Eva Herzog Member of the Council of States, Canton Basel-Stadt Dr. Olivier Küttel Head, International Affairs, EPFL, Lausanne Dr. Cornelia Staehelin Senior Physician, University Hospital Bern Dr. Benedikt Knüsel Observer, Scientific Advisor at State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, Bern Prof. Dr. Jürg Utzinger Director, Swiss TPH, (ex officio) Mathias Kronig Administrative Director, Swiss TPH, (ex officio)

Prof. Dr. Marcel Tanner President of Foundation Board, Director Emeritus, Swiss TPH Beat Berger Foundation Board Member, Managing Director, Berger Liegenschaften Prof. Dr. Christoph B. Bühler Vice-President of Foundation Board, Lawyer, LL.M., Honorary Professor at University of Zurich Dr. Lukas Meier Managing Director Stefan Mörgeli Foundation Board Member, Administrative Director Emeritus, Swiss TPH Bernadette Peterhans Foundation Board Member, Head of Professional Postgraduate Training, Swiss TPH (until 31 December 2021) Nicole Probst-Hensch Foundation Board Member, Head Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (as of 1 January 2022) Jürg Toffol Foundation Board Member, Architect, ETH SIA Prof. Dr. Jürg Utzinger Foundation Board Member, Director, Swiss TPH

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Committees & Departments

Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology

Sébastien Gagneux, Head of MPI

The Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology (MPI) investigates the biology and transmission of pathogens. Findings from this research inform the development of new diagnostics drugs, and vaccines against malaria, parasitic worm infections, Buruli ulcer, tuberculosis and Chagas’ disease. Sébastien Gagneux and his team, together with partners in the country of Georgia, highlighted prisons as an important factor driving the evolution of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (Nature Medicine). In a large phase 3 clinical trial, Jennifer Keiser’s group together with our partners from Côte d’Ivoire, Lao PDR and Tanzania, demonstrated the superior efficacy of a new combination treatment against infection by the parasitic worm Trichuris trichiura. This work was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. MPI also continues to be successful in acquiring new research grants. In particular, Jennifer Keiser acquired an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council to continue her work on developing and understanding of new treatments against helminth infections. Strategic areas & promotions Research on pathogen biology, hostpathogen interactions and immunity Researchers at MPI investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying pathogen reproduction and transmission. They use various infection models and clinical studies to investigate the host immune responses to infection as well as the molecules and processes influencing the course of disease. Research on pathogen development and transmission Researchers study how these pathogens undermine host immunity and develop drug resistance, and how these phenomena influence transmission. They analyse the dynamics of infection, the biological changes linked to pathogen life cycles, and the effects of interventions such as vaccinations and therapies on the host microbiome and on the population structure of these pathogens. Development of drugs, vaccines and diagnostics Researchers also develop novel infection models to evaluate new interventions. They use their knowledge of host and pathogen to test new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines in preclinical and clinical studies.

Highlights in 2021 MPI continues to be excellent on all fronts. Till Voss’s unit generated new insights into the essential signaling pathways of Plasmodium falciparum, the main cause of human malaria. Findings from this work point towards novel drug targets and were published in PLoS Biology. Claudia Daubenberger’s unit participated in a large collaborative effort to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2 across Africa. This work published in Science highlights the importance of global surveillance of emerging pathogens using large-scale genome sequencing. Pascal Mäser’s unit was instrumental, together with several partners, in the development of a novel compound that bears potential as a new treatment for leishmaniasis (published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition). Damien Portevin’s group developed a model system to study tuberculosis infection, which recapitulates important features of the disease and can be used to evaluate novel treatments (Frontiers in Immunology).

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MPI is further strengthening its research portfolio in basic infection biology. Specifically, Tiffany Bouchery has successfully started as head of the new group Hookworm Immuno-Biology and the work by Nicolas Brancucci and team on malaria-host interactions is now well on track. Sébastien Gagneux was promoted to Full Professor of Infection Biology at the University of Basel.

Committees & Departments

Epidemiology and Public Health

Nicole ProbstHensch, Head of EPH

The Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) investigates the distribution and drivers of infections and non-communicable diseases. To understand and promote the well-being of people in different cultural and environmental contexts, EPH applies methods ranging from anthropology and social science to biostatistics and mathematical modelling as well as observational cohorts with biobanks. In 2021, EPH had a total of 101 projects, which generated CHF 19.8 million in new funding. With over 100 employees and 130 PhD students, EPH is the largest department at Swiss TPH with 10 unique research units. COVID– 19, malaria and neglected tropical diseases EPH representatives participated in the Swiss national COVID– 19 science taskforce and conducted predictive modelling to investigate the impact of COVID– 19. Improved models were regularly added to the open source OpenMalaria platform for the simulation of malaria dynamics and control. EPH continued to support the National Malaria Control Programme in Tanzania in vector control, case management and monitoring and evaluation and supports the malaria control programme in Zanzibar. EPH supported the national Malaria Indicator Survey in Papua New Guinea and Angola to investigate the quality of malaria case management. Based on findings from the CARAMAL project, the WHO cautioned countries to scale up rectal artesunate only if health system strengthening measures can ensure an effective continuum of care. EPH continues to conduct research and interventions in the area of schistosomiasis. For example, EPH demonstrated a dramatically high prevalence of the infection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). EPH participated in the Lao PDR national health survey and will develop the first Lao PDR national liver fluke infection risk map as a basis for future control activities. The new vector control research facilities in Allschwil and the vector control product testing in Tanzania will excel the development of new vector control tools. In Switzerland, researchers run a large network of mosquito traps to monitor and control the spread of the invasive Asian tiger mosquito. This knowledge is now feeding into Aedes vector control in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ethiopia, the brucellosis sero-survey in livestock and pastoralists was finalised and the results of the spread of brucellosis in pas-

toralists was documented and shared with the National Brucellosis Task Force. In Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, EPH also works towards zero human rabies deaths by applying blockchain technology. Cohorts and biobanks Comparative cohorts and biobanks in Switzerland and on different continents are a central pillar of EPH. The COVCO-Basel cohort investigates the long-term societal impact of the COVID– 19 pandemic with more than 10,000 participants and documents the social inequity of the pandemic consequences in Switzerland. This study was extended to low- and middle-income countries, where EPH documented a compelling impact on the decrease of living standards and inadequate eldercare. The 5-year follow-up of the SOPHYA cohort provides first time policy-relevant Swiss-wide data on physical activity and its individual, social and environmental determinants in children and adolescents. SOPHYA and COVCOBasel, together with the existing SAPALDIA cohort and the administrative Swiss National Cohort, formed the basis for non-communicable diseases and environmental and exposome science across the life course.

Taking science to impact The HIA4SD project was completed and is expected to strengthen the application of impact assessment as a regulatory mechanism to engage natural resource extraction projects. The Hands4Health project examined the health and well-being effect of novel interventions to improve access to hygiene and safe water, and is being tested in primary health care facilities and schools in Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria and Palestine. EPH is also investigating the impact of health insurance on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire. Swiss TPH also contributed chemical biomonitoring citizen data to the European-wide project HBM4EU. Organizational changes and promotions As of 1 January 2021, a new unit called Vector Biology was formed with the merging of the New Vector Control Interventions, led by Sarah Moore and the Vector Control Group, led by Pie Müller. Congratulations to Jan Hattendorf who habilitated at the University of Basel, and Fabrizio Tediosi who has been promoted to Titular Professor at the University of Basel.

In the EPOCHAL and POCHAS projects, airborne pollen models were developed for health studies and proved that climate change impacts the pollen season. EPH hosted the ISEE Young 2021 virtual conference and its expertise led to the Framework Partnership Agreement for the European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment. The results of the multigenerational Peruvian ALTO birth cohort suggested that living in high altitudes may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. A parallel mother-child cohort is being implemented in Lao PDR and will integrate research on breastfeeding and children’s gut microbiome. The SwissLEGIO cohort conducted research on the individual, behavioural, environmental and infrastructural causes of the 5-fold increase of legionellosis in Switzerland over the past 10 years.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Committees & Departments

Swiss Centre for International Health

Kaspar Wyss, Head of SCIH

The Swiss Centre for International Health (SCIH) provides policy advice, project design and management services across the fields of public and global health. Hosting diverse, multi-disciplinary and multi-lingual teams in Switzerland and around the world, SCIH offers a broad range of technical and methodological expertise, including strategic consulting, project implementation, organisational assessments, evidence-synthesis, implementation research and economic evaluations. SCIH supports health systems development with a focus on Africa, the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Key areas include Primary Health Care (PHC) development, health workforce strengthening, health financing, health information systems, programme performance monitoring, supply chain management and digitalization. SCIH also covers women, children and adolescent health, nutrition as well as both non-communicable and infectious diseases of poverty. With over 60 collaborators in Basel and 180 abroad, SCIH staff work with partners to respond to local needs, thus tailoring the services to unique contexts and systems. A large number of individuals in countries such as Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, Albania, Kosovo and Moldova, amongst others, benefit from improved quality of care, increased health service coverage and community engagement and ultimately better health. In all aspects of our work, we strive towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Highlights in 2021 and responses to the COVID– 19 pandemic SCIH re-allocated funds and mobilised expertise to support national responses to the COVID– 19 crisis in many countries. In Rwanda, SCIH has improved the capacity of community health workers to handle the prevention of COVID– 19 through support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). In Côte d’Ivoire and Nepal, SCIH supported the deployment of a Surveillance, Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS), a computerized epidemic surveillance system, through the EU-funded CORESMA project.

SCIH also began a second project in Kosovo establishing qualitative, affordable and integrated care to patients with non-communicable diseases. This and several similar longterm projects have allowed the strengthening of primary and secondary health care services, as well as quality improvements respectively improving the financial, cultural and geographical accessibility of health services for the population. SCIH provides services to develop and implement health financing strategies and assess the economic viability of health system interventions. In Chad, SCIH analysed a non-contributory insurance scheme for economically vulnerable people on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). In addition, SCIH is working with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar to establish key building blocks for the UHC reform process. Electronic Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) can guide health workers in appropriate and evidence-based patient evaluation and management. Several projects implemented by SCIH are based on CDSS methods and technologies and are making important contributions to improving the quality of clinical care such as through a more rational use of antibiotics. Examples include the childcare enhancement projects for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nigeria and Somalia (ALMANACH), a project to improve healthcare in refugee camps in Chad

SCIH continues to operate as a trusted partner and implementing agency in long-term mandates for the Swiss and German governments. A new co-financed mandate focuses on Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE), connecting the demand and supply side of food systems and engaging women and youth in two secondary cities each in Bangladesh, Kenya and Rwanda.

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(SysRef) and an innovative approach to infant care in Tanzania and Rwanda (DYNAMIC). Services to the Global Fund and Gavi SCIH continues to provide Local Fund Agent (LFA) services to the Global Fund and monitors programme implementation relating to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria control/ elimination and health systems strengthening for 14 portfolios mainly in francophone Africa and the Middle East region. Swiss TPH has been reviewing revised detailed budgets and protocols, relevance and effectiveness of savings identified by countries, as well as detailing assumptions of COVID– 19 related activities, best value for money investments, and conducted short local surveys on quality and price of protective equipment. In the frame of the COVAX Facility, the global initiative for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of COVID– 19 vaccines, we have been appointed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as monitoring agent to oversee the rollout of the vaccines in Cameroon, Benin, Mali and Chad. We also continued to implement on behalf of Gavi, a Programme Audit mandate relating to Chad and Burkina Faso tracking the implementation of vaccination activities as well as Monitoring Agent mandates in Burundi and Côte d’Ivoire. A Monitoring Agent mandate in South Sudan has been completed in view of optimising vaccination coverage.

Committees & Departments

Medicine

Daniel Paris, Head of MED

The Department of Medicine (MED) provides unique services in tropical and travel medicine and performs clinical research relating to drugs, diagnostics and vaccines with a focus on tropical and poverty-related diseases. The major pillars are the Swiss Centre of Excellence for Tropical and Travel Medicine, the National Diagnostic Reference Centre for Imported Parasitic Diseases and an expanding Center for Clinical Translational Research involving academia and industry related projects. The year at a glance In 2021, MED recuperated gradually from the impact of the COVID– 19 pandemic. Clinical medical and diagnostic service activities increased with the lifting of pandemic-associated travel restrictions. The Diagnostic Centre improved its turnover with the acquisition of new projects, while the Clinical Operations unit maintained its services at international study sites and acquired new projects in COVID– 19. All clinical research activities continued despite the restrictions and thanks to the integrated activities with our partners abroad. Teaching and training activities in MED continued unchanged throughout the year. The lectures and courses were held in online formats and towards the end of the year more in-person courses resumed. Regulatory compliance efforts The ongoing efforts in developing capacity for sponsorship in international clinical trials became more visible, with three active projects with Swiss TPH as sponsor. The partnership with the Department of Clinical Research of the University of Basel led to a synergistic collaboration allowing MED to provide medical monitoring, pharmacovigilance and validate electronic data capture solutions. MED also implemented a validated clinical trial management system. With these steps, MED came closer to the goal to be an interesting partner and preferred provider for academic and industry-related R&D projects, by providing a comprehensive package of relevant clinical trial support functions, including site evaluation, project management, monitoring, GCP training and data management. Notable research highlights As part of a collaboration between teams in Lesotho and Zambia, Klaus Reither, Head of the Clinical Research unit, and team obtained a grant from the Botnar Research Centre for Child Health (BRCCH) and the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) to investigate the effects of

community-led interventions, rapid point-ofcare diagnostics and swab self-collection in mitigating the COVID– 19 epidemic. The International HIV and Chronic Disease Care group was successful in completing and publishing several studies, including the VIBRA trial, a cluster-randomized trial assessing lay-provider initiated antiretroviral therapy after homebased HIV testing. In collaboration with SolidarMed, ComBaCaL began, which is a five-year project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to tackle non-communicable diseases in rural Lesotho. Jennifer Belus was awarded with the prestigious SNSF Ambizione fellowship grant to address the mental health treatment gap in sub-Saharan Africa. The Swiss TPH-led DAVINCI consortium funded by the Botnar Research Centre for Child Health (BRCCH) developed a highly sensitive saliva-based rapid diagnostic test for COVID– 19; the prototype is currently under clinical evaluation. The NIIDS project funded by the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation addressing the health care requirements and developing diagnostics for migrants and refugees in Ethiopia unfortunately experienced a major set-back due to the rising conflict in Ethiopia. The Medicines Implementation Research unit, in collaboration with the Health Intervention unit at EPH, completed the CARAMAL project, assessing the impact of quality controlled rectal artesunate (RAS) as an intervention for children with malaria on their referral pathway. The study conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Uganda in over 13,000 children, revealed severe health system weaknesses and demonstrated that it is not sufficient to distribute RAS without addressing these challenges and deficiencies along the continuum of care.

processes and electronic transfer of medical reports to hospitals and laboratories. The diagnostic team contributed with SARS-CoV– 2 testing in Switzerland. The Diagnostic Centre also supports clinical studies of external partners by providing services for quality control, genotyping and assay development. Multiple trainings in malaria diagnostics and proficiency testing were performed with external laboratories abroad for industry clients. Clinical operations The Clinical Operations unit had a breakthrough with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the TB PRACTECAL clinical trial, which revealed that a new all-oral six-month treatment regimen is safer and more effective at treating rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis than the current standard treatment. Further, the study teams provided recruitment in the CALINA trial, a Novartis study to evaluate the first malaria treatment for neonates and infants weighing less than 5 kilograms. Personal highlights We congratulate Esther Künzli on her habilitation at the University of Basel and also to her new position as co-lead of the Medical Services, together with Andreas Neumayr.

Diagnostic development and services for research The new laboratory information system in routine diagnostics has greatly improved the

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Committees & Departments

Education and Training

Julia Bohlius, Head of ET

The Department of Education and Training (ET) coordinates classes and programmes at Swiss TPH, the University of Basel and academic institutes around the world. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swiss TPH mastered a fast, lean and successful switch from physical to virtual teaching and training in close collaboration with other departments at Swiss TPH and in regular exchange with University partners. previously known as “Allgemeiner Tropenkurs”, has been offered at Swiss TPH since 1944. Strategic areas Online teaching and training was strengthened as part of the aim to lower Swiss TPH’s carbon footprint. The pandemic strengthened and grew the global community of teachers, facilitators and students, and they mastered digital learning and teaching. Physical learning and teaching opportunities were proactively embraced without hesitation whenever possible.

The 120 teachers who train bachelor, master, doctoral and postgraduate students went through a steep learning curve in digital education and training, but have since mastered online and hybrid learning and continue to take it forward with remarkable ease. Throughout the year, Swiss TPH faculty supervised around 250 MSc, MD, PhD and postgraduate MAS theses, and 620 participants were trained in postgraduate courses. The library was temporarily closed due to the pandemic, but a pickup service for books was offered and other library services continued as usual. In early 2022, Education and Training began its courses at Swiss TPH’s new headquarters in Allschwil, just outside of Basel. Highlights in 2021 In the spring of 2021, the 27th edition of the Health Care and Management (HCM) course began virtually. 16 participants from 12 different countries participated virtually from around the globe due to the COVID– 19 pandemic. As of April 2022, two thirds of the course participants were able to travel again and attend in person and thus a hybrid model was initiated. There was need for agility, collaboration and dedication for mutual learn-

ing from both the online and on-campus participants and facilitators to make the course possible in these challenging times. All 16 participants successfully graduated with the Diploma of Advanced Studies in Health Care and Management. Special thanks to all those who contributed to the success of the course, and the Basel City Stipend commission and the R. Geigy Foundation for supporting 10 course participants. The virtual Lugano Summer School in Public Health Policy, Economics and Management, jointly organised by SSPH+, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), and Swiss TPH, and supported by the fellowship programme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), was another highlight. With 14 courses visited by 174 students – including 59 SDC fellowship students – and 10 plenary sessions open to students, alumni and the public, the Lugano Summer School attracted students from 45 countries. In the fall of 2021, the 77th edition of the eight week CAS course “Internationale Zusammenarbeit und Globale Gesundheit” was held with 41 participants. The course, which was

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Further progress was made in the development and coordination of the interfaculty Graduate School Health Sciences (GSHS) of the University of Basel. The aim of the graduate school is to unite around 350 PhD students of health sciences – including over 170 from Swiss TPH – under the umbrella of four PhD programmes and a joint platform of courses and events. Swiss TPH’s lively national and international partnerships in teaching and training, including with the SSPH+ network across 12 Swiss universities, has actively continued. Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute in Lao PDR, Cayetano University in Peru and the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania are several examples. Organisational changes In May 2021, Karin Gross took over as Head of the Professional Postgraduate Training unit of the Department of Education and Training from Bernadette Peterhans, who retired after 27 years of commitment to Swiss TPH, students and facilitators around the world. The transition went smoothly and Bernadette Peterhans will continue to teach selected topics. Julia Bohlius was promoted to Titulary Professor in Cancer Epidemiology at the University of Basel. Given the upcoming retirements of two out of the four unit heads, ET is currently preparing for further transitions.

Committees & Departments

Administration

Mathias Kronig, Administrative Director

Administration supports research, education and services as well as the staff at Swiss TPH with the following units: Finances and Controlling, Human Resources, Informatics and Infrastructure. In total, about 70 employees work in Administration at Swiss TPH. Over the past four years, Administration has been involved in the entire process of project and utilization planning for Swiss TPH’s new headquarters “Belo Horizonte”. Belo Horizonte is the largest project in the history of Swiss TPH. In 2021, the focus was on the relocation and commissioning of the new building. Administration was responsible for the preparation and implementation of the move as well as the preparation of the employees for the new working environment. Despite the COVID– 19 pandemic, the project was completed on schedule. The keys were handed over in September 2021. In mid-October 2021, the first round of employees moved in. The complex move took place in several stages and involved many additional tasks for all administrative units. The Informatics unit, headed by Alain Bertolotti, migrated all systems and equipment to the more modern and powerful IT environment in the new building. The Infrastructure unit took care of the logistics for the relocation of the offices, training rooms and laboratories. In addition, the tem-

porary building for the Center for Tropical and Travel Medicine was also converted. The Human Resources unit, headed by Iris Haueter, was responsible for the change process and carried out the onboarding for the employees. New horizons The open working environment promotes interdisciplinary exchange and contributes to improved collaboration between individual departments and units. The office landscape allows flexible working and presents opportunities for interaction as well as retreat areas for concentrated work. Researchers now have access to new and better technologies in the laboratories as well as significantly more space. Swiss TPH employees were able to actively contribute their ideas regarding the use of the building during the construction process as. For example, the cafeteria concept and the various work areas such as project, lounge and quiet zones were created based on their feedback.

Strategic areas Responsible management is a high priority at Swiss TPH. Therefore, the “Tell-Us-System” was introduced, which is an independent reporting system for misconduct and grievances to eliminate conditions that violate legal and moral-ethical regulations. In 2021, working conditions were also improved with the introduction of an additional week of vacation and an increase in paternity leave from two to six weeks. This was a response to the concerns of employees, as revealed by the 2020 employee survey, and strengthens Swiss TPH as an attractive employer. Organisational changes Mathias Kronig was elected as the new Administrative Director in June 2021. In the months before, he already acted as Administrative Director ad interim. The Finances and Controlling unit is now co-led by Deniz Gör and Stephan Schwarz.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Committees & Departments

Organigram 2022 Board of Governors

Directorate

Members from the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, Swiss universities and the private sector

Director Jürg Utzinger

Chairman Andreas Burckhardt

Deputy Director and Department Head Kaspar Wyss Department Heads Julia Bohlius, Sébastien Gagneux, Kaspar Wyss, Daniel Paris, Nicole Probst-Hensch Administrative Director Mathias Kronig

Administration Administration Mathias Kronig Deputy: Iris Haueter & Alain Bertolotti Finances / Controlling Deniz Gör & Stephan Schwarz Human Resources Iris Haueter Informatics Alain Bertolotti Infrastructure Florian Frenzel

Departments Epidemiology and Public Health

Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology

Nicole Probst-Hensch Deputy: Jakob Zinsstag

Sébastien Gagneux Deputy: Till Voss

Biostatistics Penelope Vounatsou

Clinical Immunology Claudia Daubenberger

Chronic Disease Epidemiology Nicole Probst-Hensch

Helminth Drug Development Jennifer Keiser

Disease Modelling Melissa Penny

Malaria Gene Regulation Till Voss

Ecosystem Health Sciences Guéladio Cissé

Malaria Host Interactions Nicolas Brancucci

Environmental Exposures and Health Martin Röösli

Parasite Chemotherapy Pascal Mäser

Health Interventions Christian Lengeler Household Economics and Health Systems Research Günther Fink Human and Animal Health Jakob Zinsstag Society, Gender and Health Sonja Merten Vector Biology Pie Müller

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Tuberculosis Research Sébastien Gagneux

Committees & Departments

Communications, Sabina Beatrice-Matter Internal Audit, Vincent Bodenez Medical Services, Esther Künzli & Andreas Neumayr Security, Safety & Health, Marco Tamborrini Project & Grant, Michael Käser

Swiss Centre for International Health

Medicine

Education and Training

Kaspar Wyss

Daniel Paris Deputy: Christian Burri

Julia Bohlius Deputy: Axel Hoffmann

Digital Health Martin Raab

Clinical Operations Elisabeth Reus

Bachelor-Master-Doctorate Peter Odermatt

Health Systems Support Helen Prytherch

Clinical Research Klaus Reither

Library and Documentation Giovanni Casagrande

Systems Performance and Monitoring Odile Pham-Tan

Diagnostics Beatrice Nickel

Professional Postgraduate Training Karin Gross

Medicines Development Daniel Paris Medicines Implementation Research Christian Burri

Teaching Technology and Didactics Axel Hoffmann

Organigram valid May 2022 All Swiss TPH staff: www.swisstph.ch/staff

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

FINANCES Funding 2021

Funding 2020

Core funding

Core funding in Mio. CHF

in Mio. CHF

University of Basel

6.0

University of Basel

National Government

9.0

National Government

7.7

Canton Basel-Landschaft

4.0

Canton Basel-Landschaft

3.6

Canton Basel-Stadt

4.0

Canton Basel-Stadt

3.6

Subtotal

23.0

Deferred income Belo Horizonte Total core funding Recognition of deferred income Belo Horizonte

0.0 23.0

24.4 %

Competitively acquired funds

6.7

Subtotal

21.6

Deferred income Belo Horizonte

– 1.8

Total core funding

19.8

21.7 %

Recognition of deferred income Belo Horizonte*

10.0

10.9 %

Competitively acquired funds

Research (e.g. SNSF and EU)

29.9

31.7 %

Research (e.g. SNSF and EU)

25.7

28.2 %

Service (e.g. SDC, Global Fund and BMGF)

Services (e.g. SDC, Global Fund and BMGF)

27.7

30.3 %

1.5

1.6 %

30.1

31.9 %

Education and Training (e.g. postgraduate courses)

1.8

1.9 %

Medical Services (e.g. Travel Medicine & Diagnostics)

Education and Training (e.g. Postgraduate courses)

7.7

8.2 %

Other Income

1.9

2.0 %

Medical Services (e.g. Travel Medicine & Diagnostics)

4.9

5.3 %

Other income

1.8

1.9 %

Total competitively aquired funds

61.5

67.4 %

Total funding

91.3

100 %

Total competitively aquired funds

71.4

Total funding

94.5

Competitively acquired 75.6% Core contributions 24.4 % Other income Medical Services

75.6 % 100 %

Competitively acquired 67.4 % Core contributions 21.7% Education and Other income Training Medical Services

Education and Training

Core funding

Core funding *Belo Horizonte

Research

CHF 94.5 Mio.

CHF 91.3 Mio. Research Services Services

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Finances

Annual Accounts

Financial statements established in accordance with Swiss GAAP FER

Income Statement Income

2021 in 1000 CHF

2020 in 1000 CHF

Self-managed income

66,545

70.4 %

60,832

66.7 %

Core funding from national and local government

23,040

24.4 %

19,801

21.7 %

1,858

2.0 %

1,760

1.9 %

0.0 %

10,000

10.9 %

Other operating income Recognition of deferred income building Belo Horizonte Change in unbilled services Total income Personnel expenses

3,044

3.2 %

– 1,062

– 1.2 %

94,486

100 %

91,331

100 % 53.4 %

– 55,211

58.8 %

– 49,011

Material expenses

– 2,659

2.8 %

– 3,590

3.9 %

Depreciation of tangible assets

– 1,266

1.3 %

– 1,259

1.4 %

– 211

0.2 %

– 334

0.4 %

Amortisation of intangible assets Administrative expenses

– 6,020

6.4 %

– 4,188

4.6 %

Other operating expenses

– 28,584

30.4 %

– 23,342

25.4 %

Creation of Investment fund Belo Horizonte Total expenditure

0.0 %

– 10,000

10.9 %

– 93,951

100 %

– 91,724

100 %

Operating result

535

Financial result

172

– 393 – 760

Ordinary result

707

– 1,153

Extraordinary result

2,554

Annual result

3,261

– 1,153

2021 in 1000 CHF

2020 in 1000 CHF

Balance sheet Assets Cash and cash equivalents

36,197

40.5 %

50,844

58.7 %

Receivables

25,547

28.6 %

20,190

23.4 %

Prepayments and accrued income

11,000

12.3 %

7,831

9.1 %

0.0 %

228

0.3 %

72,771

81.5 %

79,093

91.5 %

1,643

1.8 %

7,305

8.5 %

Inventories Total current assets Non-current assets Assets under construction

14,921

16.7 %

Total non-current assets

16,564

18.5 %

7,305

8.5 %

Total assets

89,336

100 %

86,398

100 %

10,577

11.8 %

13,716

15.9 %

5,605

6.3 %

1,098

1.3 %

48,687

54.5 %

50,763

58.7 %

2,551

2.9 %

1,811

2.1 %

0.0 %

1,000

1.2 %

67,420

75.5 %

68,388

79.2 %

1,285

1.4 %

783

0.9 %

Liabilities and equity Payables from goods and services Other payables Accrued liabilities and deferred income Short-term provisions Mortgages Total current liabilities Long-term liabilities Long-term provisions

2,085

2.3 %

1,943

2.2 %

Investment fund Belo Horizonte

10,000

11.2 %

10,000

11.6 %

Total non-current liabilities

13,371

15.0 %

12,726

14.7 %

Equity Total liabilities and equity

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

8,544

9.6 %

5,284

6.1 %

89,336

100 %

86,398

100 %

“My work focuses on migrant health and their environment, and this is important because migrants are vulnerable populations and they need to be empowered to gain access to the health they need through engagement and participation in the health system.”

Finances

Afona Chernet, Migration Health Advisor, Swiss TPH

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Finances

Partners and Funders Core Funding Canton Basel-Landschaft, CH

Nationales Referenzzentrum für Legionellen (NRZL), CH

Canton Basel-Stadt, CH

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), CH

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), CH University of Basel, CH Research Funding Botnar Research Centre for Child Health (BRCCH), CH EU research grants (e.g. ERC, Horizon, EDCTP), EU National Institutes of Health (NIH), US Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), CH University of Basel, CH

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), CH Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), CH Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA), CH Swiss Pathogen Surveillance Platform (SPSP), CH University Hospital Basel, CH Public and Public-Private Clients International Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, NG African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), KE African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), ET

Foundations Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, US

Agence Française de Développement (AFD), FR

Anesvad, ES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US

Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Lesotho (BCMCFL), LS

Centre de Support en Santé Internationale (CSSI), TD

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), US

Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), FR

Biovision, CH

Commission de l’Océan Indien (COI), MU

CDC Foundation, US

Cordaid, NL

Cesvi Fondatione Onlus, IT

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), DE

Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), US

Direction des Services Vétérinaires (DSV), FR

Computer Simulation & Advanced Research Technologies, AU

Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), CH

Dubai Cares, AE

European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), NL

Eckenstein-Geigy-Stiftung, CH

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US

Elrha, GB

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), GB

Fondation Botnar, CH

Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), CH

Fondation Pasteur Suisse, CH

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, CH

Fondazione Adiuvare, CH

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, CH

Fondazione lstituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare (INGM), IT

Grand Challenges Canada, CA

Forlen Stiftung, CH

Helse Nord Tuberculosis Initiative Malawi (HNTI), NO

Freiwillige Akademische Gesellschaft (FAG), CH

Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), ZA

Fundação Manhiça (FM), MZ

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), US

Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT), JP

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), FR

Health Information Traceability Foundation (HIT), CH

Institut de Recherches en Elevage pour le Développement (IRED), TD

Krebsforschung Schweiz, CH

Institut National d’Hygiène Publique (INHP), CI

Medical Care Development International, US

Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), MZ

Moritz Straus-Stiftung, CH

International AIDS Society (IAS), SE

Novartis Foundation, CH

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), CH

R. Geigy Foundation, CH

International Development Research Centre, CA

Sight and Life (SAL), CH

ISGlobal, ES

Sint Antonius Foundation, NL

Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), DE

Skat Foundation, CH

Laboratoire Central Vétérinaire (LCV), ML

Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation, CH

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), CH

Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS), CH

Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Solidarité Nationale Tschad, TD

Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), CH

Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, FR

Walter Fischli Stiftung, CH

National Center of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NCTLD), GE

Wellcome Trust, GB

Norwegian Agency of Development Cooperation (Norad), NO

Wolfermann-Nägeli-Stiftung, CH

Nutrition International, CA

Public Clients Switzerland Amt für Ausbildungsbeiträge Basel-Stadt, CH Amt für Umwelt und Energie Basel-Stadt, CH Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen (BLV), CH Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE), CH Eidgenössisches Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung (WBF), CH Entwicklungszusammenarbeit des Kantons Basel-Stadt, CH Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), CH Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), CH Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN), CH Federal Statistic Office (BFS), CH Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz, CH Innosuisse - Swiss Innovation Agency, CH Kantonsspital Basel-Landschaft, CH MeteoSchweiz, CH

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Asian Development Bank (ADB), PH

Organisation de Coordination pour la lutte contre les endémies en Afrique Centrale, CM PATH, US Sanaria, US Schistosomiasis Control Initiative Foundation (SCI), GB tropEd Network for Education in International Health, DE Umweltbundesamt (UBA), DE Unitaid, CH United Nations Children Fund International (UNICEF), US United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), US United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), US United States Agency for International Development (USAID), US West African Health Organisation (WAHO) World Bank, US World Health Organization (WHO), CH

Finances Private Clients Astellas Pharma AG, CH

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), GB

Bacoba AG, CH

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), CH

BASF SE, DE Bayer AG, CH BioInitials, CH Bluesquare, BE Bristol Myers Squibb, US Cardno Emerging Markets East Africa Ltd. (CEM), KE Conseil Santé, FR Effectum Medical AG, CH Fields at Work GmbH, CH GFA Consulting Group GmbH, DE Grolimund + Partner AG, CH Health Effects Institute (HEI), US Hemex AG, BS International Association for Maternal and Neonatal Health (IAMANEH), CH ISIDA Clinic, UA Kasha Global Inc., KE Life4me+, CH Lygature, NL Mapping & Analytics for Health Activities (MAHA), FR Martin Systems GmbH, DE Merck, DE Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), CH NED-TECH AG, CH Novartis Pharma AG, CH OmicScouts, DE OptiMedis AG, DE Privatklinik Meiringen, CH RANAS Ltd., CH Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM), PG Seboche Mission Hospital, LS Sightsavers, GB SKAN, CH SolDevelo, PL SolidarMed, CH Specs Compound Handling B.V., NL Syngenta, CH Terre des hommes, CH Universitätsklinikum Bonn (UKB), DE VisibleSolutions AG, CH Vital Strategies, US Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Limited (WHC), ZA

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), GB Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), DE Makerere University, UG Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), MZ National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), TZ National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (ICMR), IN Ospedale San Raffaele (SRL), IT Palestine Polytechnic University, PS Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNG IMR), PG Penta Child Health Research, IT Public Health Laboratory Ivo de Carneri (PHL-IdC), TZ Radboud University Nijmegen, NL School of Public Health, Accra University, Ghana School of Social Work Fribourg (HETS-FR), CH Somali Research & Development Institute (SORDI), SO Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), CH Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), CH Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), CH swissuniversities Development and Cooperation Network (SUDAC), CH Technische Universität München (TUM), DE The Aurum Institute, ZA The George Institute for Global Health India, IN Unisanté, CH Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), PE University of Antwerp, BE University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwest Switzerland (FHNW), CH University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), CH University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), CH University of Basel, CH University of Bergen (UiB), NO University of Bern, CH University of Buea, CM University of California San Francisco (UCSF), US University of Cape Town, ZA University of Dundee, GB University of Ghana, GH University of Groningen (RUG), NL University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), GH University of Heidelberg, DE University of Lugano, CH University of Luzern, CH University of Maiduguri, NG

Academic Partners Addis Ababa University (AAU), ET

University of Maryland, US

Berner Fachhochschule (BFH), CH

University of Oxford, UK

Boston University, US

University of Sao Paulo (USP), BR

Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS), CI

University of Strasbourg, FR

Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM), CH

University of Utrecht, NL

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH

University of Washington (UW), US

Forschungszentrum Borstel, Leibniz Lungenzentrum (FZB), DE

University of Zurich, CH

Ghent University, BE

Université de Lausanne, CH

Hanoi Public School of Health, VN

Université de Neuchâtel, CH

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, US

Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (USTTB), ML

Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, DE

Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny (UFHB), CIV

Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), TZ

Weizmann Institute of Science, IL

University of Nebraska, US

Institut Pasteur, FR Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp (ITM), BE Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical Universidade Nova de Lisboa (IHMT), PT Institutul de Ftiziopneumologie “Chiril Draganiuc”, MD Institutul de Pneumoftiziologie “Marius Nasta” (IPMN), RO James Cook University (JCU), AU

*The list reflect all Swiss TPH partners and funders that are within our staffmanaged project database. This differs from the 2020 Annual Report, where we listed partners and funders who contributed more than CHF 100,000 or were noted as strategically relevant.

Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), KE Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute (Lao TPHI), LAO Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), CH

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Concept and edits: Danielle Powell Additional contributions: Sabina Beatrice-Matter, Myrta Brunner, Layla Hasler, Lukas Meier, Jürg Utzinger, Department Heads and Swiss TPH staff members Layout and design: Neeser & Müller Pictures: Olivier Brandenberg, Christian Flierl, Christian Heuss, DNDi, Matthis Kleeb, Justin Makangara/Fairpicture, Joachim Pelikan, Danielle Powell, Thomas Schuppisser and Swiss TPH staff Cover photo: Julio Sacristan / Westend61 Printing: Gremper AG Copyright: Swiss TPH, 2022

Swiss TPH Annual Report 2021

Articles inside

Committees & Departments

Future Perspectives

In Retrospect

Our Impact

Insights

Preface