Sydney builds research links with Switzerland

Professor Marcel Tanner, Director of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and Professor of Epidemiology and Medical Parasitology at the University of Basel, visited the University of Sydney on 20 August for a lecture sponsored by the Swiss Academic Network (SAAN) in partnership with the Sydney Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity Institute (SEIB).

The lecture focused on zoonoses, infectious diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. The lecture was introduced by Professor Roland Stocker, Vice-President of SAAN, and Professor Tania Sorrell, Director of SEIB.

Professor Tanner has worked in rural and urban areas in Africa and Asia and coordinated the first African malaria vaccine trial in 1992. The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, founded in 1943, is a world-renowned public institution for teaching, research and services in the field of International Health Development. More than 500 staff from 40 nations work worldwide for Swiss TPH in research, teaching and service provision.

The Sydney Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity Institute is a multi-disciplinary hub dedicated to capacity building, research, advocacy and expert advice in the Asia Pacific region. SEIB is developing a partnership with Swiss TPH which will involve research student exchanges and academic research collaborations.

The University of Sydney is expanding research links with Swiss institutions and research bodies, with recent visits from representatives of ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne and a forthcoming visit by a delegation from the University of Geneva.

Contact: Richard North

Phone: 02 9351 3191

Email: 1c5a502b5530076b24351b200e383d3c2536344a472415325c1832