Academy
29.04.2025
The SAMS Annual Report 2024 is online
Read more CloseThe year 2024 of the SAMS has featured inspiring ideas, revealing insights and successfully completed milestones. As a result, the Academy's activities attracted significant attention.
The retrospective continues to be the heart of our online annual report. It provides an overview of past year's activities. The different colours by department show the variety of our activities and our commitment to science, medicine and society. Scroll through the eventful year 2024 once again or download a printable PDF of the report (available in French or German).
Download the report, in French (PDF)
Academy
24.04.2025
CAS One Health: Sustainable health for humans, animals and the environment
Read more CloseTo successfully tackle the complex problems of our time, all disciplines, sectors and population groups must work together. This also applies to medicine. That is why the One Health approach aims to restore the balance between humans, animals and ecosystems. The University of Bern is launching Switzerland's first CAS on this topic. The program starts in September 2025 and the application deadline is 31 May 2025.
The One Health approach, which the SAMS supports in its position papers, proposes to extend the recognition of the ecosystem-animal-human interconnection into professional actions, aiming at sustainably maintaining health in the broadest sense. Among others, the «Network for Transdisciplinary Research» (td-net) of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (a+) supports the CAS One Health at the University of Bern. Detailed information is available on the program website. The SAMS’ position paper «Promotion of health services respecting planetary boundaries» can be downloaded in French and German.
Position paper, French/German (PDF)
Projects
23.04.2025
smarter medicine: Top 5 lists for occupational therapy and pharmacy
Read more CloseThe association «Smarter Medicine – Choosing Wisely Switzerland», of which the SAMS is a member, is committed to optimising healthcare in Switzerland. It encourages professional societies to draw up Top 5 lists defining interventions that should be avoided altogether or only used under specific conditions. In April 2025, the Swiss Association of Occupational Therapists (ASE) and the Pharmaceutical Care Network Switzerland (PCN-S) published their Top 5 lists.
The publication of these two lists continues a welcome development: the ASE and PCN-S – in collaboration with the Swiss Pharmacists Association and the Swiss Association of Public Health and Hospital Pharmacists – are two further non-medical health associations that have each compiled a Top 5 list. This clearly shows that there is also a problem of under- and over-treatment in these fields. The associations aim to counteract this phenomenon and to promote knowledge transfer between the various healthcare sectors. All Top 5 lists are available on the smarter medicine website (French or German).
Visit the website
Funding
01.04.2025
Young Talents in Clinical Research: Call 2025
Read more CloseWith the Young Talents in Clinical Research program, the Gottfried and Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation and the SAMS wish to encourage young medical doctors to start out in clinical research. In 2025, CHF 1 million is made available to finance protected research time and small research projects for junior researchers. The submission deadline is 30 June 2025.
The YTCR program comprises two funding instruments: Beginner Grants and Project Grants. Its target audience are residents who wish to be freed from clinical duty to gain a first experience in clinical research. Applications must be written in English and registered online. More information on the participation criteria, submission and evaluation procedure can be found in the program regulations, on our website, and in the FAQ.
Visit the website
Publications
25.03.2025
Real-world studies in medicine: opportunities and risks
Read more CloseHealth-related activities, such as those of hospitals and insurance companies, generate large amounts of data every day. This so-called «real-world data» can be used in various ways for health research and is attracting a lot of attention. In the lead article of the current SAMS Bulletin, Dr Michaela Egli, philosopher and project manager at the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN), discusses the opportunities and risks of real-world studies.
Bulletin 1/2025 also features the first editorial by Prof. Arnaud Perrier, who, as SAMS President, puts the importance of health data and SPHN into perspective. Prof. Urs Frey reflects in a «Carte blanche» on his time als SPHN-president and the role of the SAMS. Information from the Careum event on the Federal Health Act and news from our Departments Ethics and Promotion round off the first issue of the year.
SAMS Bulletin 1/2025, French version (PDF)
SPHN
17.03.2025
Swiss Personalized Health Network ensures continuity
Read more CloseThe development phase of the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) was successfully completed at the end of 2024. Over the next four years, the network will focus on maintaining and establishing its services and infrastructures. From 2029, SPHN aims to become an integral part of the national data infrastructure.
For the 2025–2028 funding period, SAMS will be responsible for the mandate of SPHN’s Data Coordination Center (DCC) and will continue its successful collaboration with the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. The federal government plans to support the DCC with CHF 20.7 million over the next four years. In the future, the network partners will also be increasingly involved financially. This will broadly support the transition from a national funding initiative to an integral part of the data infrastructure. More information on the future of SPHN can be found in our newsletter.
Further information
Academy
13.03.2025
«Science et politique à table!»: Is assisted suicide in Switzerland sufficiently regulated?
Read more CloseWith «Science et Politique à table!», the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (a+) invite members of parliament to discuss current topics with experts from the scientific community. On March 4, 2025, the discussion focused on the appropriate legal and institutional framework for assisted suicide in Switzerland. The summary of the discussions, the speakers' presentations as well as relevant contacts are now available on the a+ website.
In recent years, the number of assisted suicides relative to all deaths has increased significantly in Switzerland: from 0.2% (1999) to 2.1% (2022). If this trend continues, the proportion is likely to be 5% in 10 to 15 years. The legal framework for assisted suicide is defined by the Swiss Criminal Code and the Narcotics Act. The medical-ethical guidelines of the SAMS provide guidelines for physicians, but assisted suicide is largely in the hands of private institutions. At what point does self-regulation reach its limits? What options are there for action? Related documents and contacts can be found on the a+ website.
Summary of the discussion, in French (PDF)
Projects
06.03.2025
Forum of the ETHICH Consortium: Save-the-Date and Call for Abstracts
Read more CloseOn September 2 2025, the Swiss Consortium for Sustainable Health and Ecological Change in the Health System (ETHICH), founded by the SAMS, is organizing a national forum in Bern. New projects and initiatives will be presented, and the exchanges initiated during the two previous editions will be continued and strengthened. Abstracts of projects can now be submitted.
Projects may be specific to the topic of this year's Forum «Resource consumption in the healthcare sector - from oversupply to a circular economy» or on one of the seven proposals of the position paper «Promotion of health services respecting planetary boundaries» (SAMS, 2022). Abstracts can be submitted in English, German or French until May 31 2025. Further information can be found on the website.
SAMS position paper, in French (PDF)