University of Lausanne

On January 1st 2019, a new academic Center for primary care and public health – Unisanté has been created in Lausanne. Unisanté results from the merging of the Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine (Policlinique médicale universitaire [PMU]), the Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine [IUMSP], the Institute for Work and Health [IST] and the Promotion Santé Vaud (ProSV) Association. On January 1st 2020, the Cantonal breast and colon cancer organized screening programs will join Unisanté as well.
Unique in Switzerland, this academic Center includes nearly 850 collaborators, including over 40 faculty members, organized into seven Departments covering a broad range of clinical, research, service and teaching activities: primary care and family medicine, academic public health, work and environmental health as well as health promotion and prevention. Unisanté is an independent academic public institution, which is part of the Faculty of biology and medicine of the University of Lausanne. The annual budget of CHF 130 million is financed, in part, by the University of Lausanne and the Cantonal public health authorities (direction générale de la santé du canton de Vaud). The governance of Unisanté is organized with a 7-member Council, led by a president (Prof Dominique Arlettaz), a general director (Prof Jacques Cornuz) and a direction committee. Unisanté is recognized by ISFM to certify MD’s (FMH title) in general internal medicine, prevention and public health as well as work health.
Among the main challenges that Unisanté will have to face in the coming years, we can mention: (1) to develop health promotion and prevention programmes that match citizens’ needs and expectations while taking environmental perspectives into account; (2) to reinforce primary care and to enhance the skills of health professionals in community health ; (3) to develop the access to health care of groups in vulnerable situations; (4) to develop health services and health economics research to help policy makers taking informed decisions at the cantonal and/or federal levels.