Projects
15.09.2022
Briefly explained: Patients and Public Involvement (PPI)
Read more CloseInvolving patients and representatives from the public in research is crucial for medical progress. Through its role in the National Coordination Platform Clinical Research and in the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN), the SAMS is committed to strengthening patients and public involvement (PPI) in Switzerland.
What does the active participation of patients or representatives of the public in clinical research look like? Who can be participate in PPI? And why is this involvement important? A short video clip from the Swiss Clinical Trial Organisation (SCTO) provides answers to these questions in an accessible way.
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Publications
30.08.2022
Collaboration between medical professionals and industry
Read more CloseThere is a long tradition of collaboration between medical professionals and industry. This is essentially in the interests of good healthcare and contributes to medical progress. At the same time, it may lead to conflicts of interest. The Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) has updated and extended the scope of its guidelines on this topic: they are now no longer addressed exclusively to physicians but also to other health professions.
The revised guidelines take account of recent developments in this area, covering for the first time virtual events, sales of advertising space, stand rental, and product and procedure training events, and also dealing with topics such as start-ups, spin-offs and licensing agreements. A special emphasis is placed on transparency.
Download the guidelines (PDF)
Projects
24.08.2022
New Top 5 list and national campaign for moderate medicine
Read more Close«Less is sometimes more» is the motto of the umbrella organisation «smarter medicine», to which the SAMS belongs. In addition to the Top 5 lists, which are primarily aimed at professionals, «smarter medicine» also provides comprehensible information to raise public awareness. In Switzerland, too, there is over-medication and inappropriate care. A new national campaign offers a variety of free information material.
In their Top 5 lists, medical societies determine five interventions that should be avoided or only used under certain conditions. The most recent list is that of the Swiss Society for Gynaecology and Obstetrics (SSGO). Moreover, «smarter medicine» launched a campaign with information material in three languages aimed at the general public. Patients should be able to prepare themselves for a medical consultation and ask questions about the advantages and disadvantages of the recommended treatment. For more information visit the website.
Top 5 list for Gynaecology in French (PDF)
Academy
20.07.2022
Call for members: Sounding Board for Open Research Data
Read more CloseThe Swiss Academies (a+) are establishing a Sounding Board for Researchers for the implementation of the Action Plan on Open Research Data (ORD) with their expertise. The Sounding Board will consist of up to 16 members and start its activities in autumn 2022. Apply by 7 August 2022 and help boost Open Science in Switzerland.
Are you a scientist interested in Open Science? Join the ORD Sounding Board of researchers. The Academies are seeking members who have already gained experience in ORD research practices and are able to showcase ORD practices within their field of expertise. Members of the Sounding Board should be affiliated with a Swiss higher education institution. More information can be found in the call for proposals on the a+ website.
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SPHN
13.07.2022
Swiss Personalized Health Network: Factsheet 2022
Read more CloseThe Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) has published a new Factsheet. From a researcher’s perspective, it highlights the various tools, services and resources that SPHN offers in the field of data-driven and personalized health research and their added value.
From project planning, to data acquisition and processing through to the re-use of data by third parties, researchers learn about the new opportunities that are opening up, e.g., in terms of data availability in the clinical data warehouses or data lakes of the university hospitals. In addition, the Factsheet contains an outlook on the future developments of the SPHN ecosystem and which partnerships are important in this context.
Download the Factsheet (PDF)
Projects
12.07.2022
STAAR Commission: transparency in research using animals
Read more CloseIn June, swissuniversities has created the STAAR Commission – Swiss Transparency Agreement on Animal Research. The Commission will support the institutions involved with research using animals in their communication with the public. Signatory organisations report regularly on their progress towards greater transparency.
Organisations that join STAAR commit to communication and transparency regarding the use of animals in research. Concrete objectives are defined each year. To date, STAAR brings together 24 organisations, both public and private. For more information, please visit the STAAR website.
Further information
Funding
05.07.2022
The MD-PhD program supports 13 medical doctors interested in research
Read more CloseThe national MD-PhD program has awarded 13 grants to young physicians engaged in research to complete a doctorate in natural sciences, public health sciences, clinical research or biomedical ethics at a Swiss university. The synopsis of grantees gives an overview of the supported projects.
Of the 22 applications preselected by the local MD-PhD committees, 13 young candidates are awarded a grant. The contributions, amounting to a total of more than CHF 2.3 million, cover the salary of grantees. They are sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Swiss Cancer Research (KFS) and the SAMS – for the first time with an additional grant from the Théodore Ott Fund. The next call for proposals of the National MD-PhD program will be launched this autumn with a submission deadline set on 15 December 2022.
Synopsis of grantees (PDF)
Academy
28.06.2022
Reducing the environmental impact of health services
Read more CloseWhile human health is certainly adversely affected by climate change, the health system itself is also partly responsible for the current environmental crisis. How can we rethink health services so that they respect planetary boundaries? The new SAMS position paper is dedicated to this urgent question.
The paper formulates seven proposals with three overarching goals: reducing the use of health services, adapting healthcare practices and improving the environmental efficiency of health services. The document aims to raise awareness among health actors at every level, inspiring them to develop concrete, context-specific measures designed to reduce their environmental footprint.
Position paper (in French and German) (PDF)