I am a Swiss MD with board-certified specialization in Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases/ Vaccinology with broad experience in hospital- and office-based pediatric infectious diseases, in the biopharmaceutical industry on a senior global and national management level, in clinical and laboratory medicine, academia, and in public health.
My current clinical focus is on office-based pediatrics (50%). As a former member for 12 years, I am currently acting as the Swiss Vaccination Commission’s scientific secretary, and I am a founding member of the WHO-certified Swiss vaccinology expert support team InfoVac since 2001. In addition, I am holding a mandate of the University of Geneva supporting their project of the Swiss electronic vaccination certificate (myvaccines.ch). During my professional career, I have built up a broad national and international network in vaccinology and infectious diseases.
In 2012/2013, I was responsible for the implementation of the new hospital reimbursement system SwissDRG at 3 University Children’s Hospitals in Switzerland. This position allowed for a deep insight into hospital management and public relations.
In my former roles in the pharmaceutical vaccine industry, I interacted with national, professional, regulatory, and public health authorities, experts and the public. My key activities were product support, training, and life-cycle management, as well as risk management, pharmacovigilance, medical information and publication management. I was responsible for preclinical and clinical study activities (phase I – IV) and acted as global medical responsible officer. I was leading various medical teams on different management levels.
Before my change from clinical medicine to the pharmaceutical industry in 2006, I had served as as a general pediatrician and hospital consultant in neonatology, and in parallel acted as principal Investigator in the Central Switzerland area for various vaccine companies. I was member of several national and international vaccine advisory boards, and have executed various consultancy activities, including sales forces staff training.
During my hospital career, I had been working as clinical-scientific fellow at the Basel University Children’s Hospital, and later was responsible for the pediatric infectious disease unit at the Children’s Hospital of Lucerne. I was acting as a medical expert for the Swiss Red Cross (responsible for the medical refugee TB screening and vaccination program).
I am fluent in English, German, French and Italian.
Education
- 1977‑ 1984 Medical school (University of Bern, University of Geneva, Tulane University New Orleans)
- 1986 MD Certification (Thesis)
- 1994 Board Certification in Pediatrics
- 1999 Board Certification in Infectious Diseases
Pediatric Infectious Diseases activities:
Since January 2018, I am working part-time as an office-based pediatrician, in parallel acting as the Swiss Vaccination Commission’s Scientific Secretary and holding a mandate of the University of Geneva for their Swiss Electronic Vaccination Certificate.
My clinical background is an MD with specialization in Pediatrics and in Infectious Diseases. I worked in private practice (Pediatrics), at the University Children’s Hospital Basel (fellow) and at the Children’s Hospital Luzern, where I was responsible for the Pediatric Infectiology department. During this time, I acted as a regional principal investigator for many studies and trainer for various biopharmaceutical companies. In parallel, I was responsible for the Medical Screening Program for refugees entering Switzerland, run by the Swiss Red Cross on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG/OFSP). From 1995 through 2007, I was a member of the Swiss Federal Vaccination Commission (SKIF/EKIF). Since 2001, I am a founding member of the InfoVac team (www.infovac.ch), a WHO-certified vaccine expert system supported by BAG/OFSP. I am considered as a national opinion leader in vaccinology. As part of my formation in Infectious Diseases, I had also worked in clinical microbiology (4 years) and in Public Health (2 years).
Summary of biopharmaceutical, administrative and clinical activities:
From October 2014 through September 2016, I was serving as Senior Medical Advisor Vaccines at Pfizer Germany (DACH). I was supervising a team of 4 direct reports (Medical-Science-Relationship managers, MSRs) in Germany, providing Medical Affairs support for the DACH region, and acting as the company’s EU lead for the Meningococcal group C vaccine. In addition, I was actively involved in global training activities.
From October 2013 through September 2014, I acted as Nuron Biotech’s Director Medical Affairs Europe, the company’s responsible officer for their meningococcal vaccine Meningitec® (obtained from Pfizer Inc) in various European and other countries. I was heading pharmacovigilance, medical information, interacted closely with regulatory affairs, and was responsible for training activities until the global market withdrawal of Meningitec® due to a major contamination issue.
In 2012 and 2013, I was responsible for the optimal implementation of the new hospital reimbursement system SwissDRG in the University Children’s Hospitals of Zurich and Basel and the Children’s Hospital St. Gallen, and for Public & Administrative Relations of AllKidS (Alliance of Autonomous University Children’s Hospitals). My activities included the implementation of a political and economic awareness campaign about the specific needs of pediatric hospitals including tariff negotiations with political and health insurance authorities, and the implementation of various administrative improvements after careful economic and operative analyses.
From September 2010 through December 2011, I was responsible as Chief Medical Officer for the preclinical and clinical development at GlycoVaxyn, a company which has developed an innovative production platform for conjugate vaccines (glycopeptides), as well as for all regulatory activities. This included the planning and implementation of preclinical and clinical development plans, budget responsibility, close interactions with international KOLs and Regulatory Authorities (FDA, EMA, Swissmedic). I was responsible for a team of 3 direct and one indirect reports. However, despite some initial rapid progress, the company faced scientific drawbacks, which eventually led to the decision to structurally reorganize the company with a focus on research, and in consequence, to suspended my clinical and regulatory development department by the end of 2011.
From 2006 – 2010, my professional activities as an Associate Director global Medical Affairs at Biogen Idec International included the planning, implementation, management, evaluation and scientific communication of an international post-marketing surveillance program for the MS compound natalizumab (Tysabri®) (international multicenter phase IV study with >3,000 patients). I had been actively involved in the conduct of registrational studies, as well as phase IIIb studies for life cycle management. Other important aspects were the management of Medical Information for Europe, the medical training of international affiliate staff managers and external KOLs, the preparation of and participation in symposia and Advisory Board meetings, the close interaction with the commercial and clinical development teams, and several Business Development activities.
Awards:
March 10, 1986 (thesis):
“Antimicrobial Therapy of Pseudomonas Pulmonary Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis: A Prospective Evaluation of Netilmicin plus Azlocillin versus Netilmicin plus Ticarcillin.”
Supervision: Prof U.B. Schaad, Medizinische Universitäts-Kinderklinik, Bern
June 15, 2001:
Guido Fanconi memorial award 2001 of the Swiss Society for Pediatrics as a member of the WHO-certified InfoVac vaccine consulting team
