Mandates

As part of our effort to support public health agencies in Switzerland, SSPH+ is engaged in fulfilling important public health mandates in Switzerland. Below are examples of such mandates that were carried out in 2023.

Health promotion events - Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz (GFS)

SSPH+ maintains a database with academic and non-academic health promotion programs, courses, workshops, and seminars from its partner universities and institutes as well as other organisations. This database of relevant events for Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz includes key information about these events and is kept up to date and continuously expanded by SSPH+. It is electronically featured as a searchable list on the website of Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz. In 2023, the database contained 105 events. See the events list here.

Literature Screening on COVID-19 and other Public Health Topics

SSPH+ researchers continued to screen the vast and constantly growing scientific literature on COVID-19 and other public health topics, and provided summaries to the FOPH. This allowed authorities to take into account the growing knowledge about the pandemic and its health-related consequences, and to base decisions and policies on the progress of science.

Given the complex multidisciplinary issues that must be addressed in order to manage the pandemic and the future management of its causes and impacts, no single academic institution is able to sift through and summarise the literature for the authorities. As a unique inter-university network, the SSPH+ lent itself to this scientific achievement for the benefit of national and cantonal authorities

The SSPH+ Directorate had the primary responsibility for the overall implementation of this project that ran from January 2021 until November 2023. It identified and commissioned experts for literature research (mandates), maintained the SSPH+ COVID-19 platform as an online communication channel (for registered members), monitored literature screening, coordinated and reviewed reporting and dialogues, obtained reviews and feedback, implemented adjustments and managed contracts and finances with the mandated.

List of topics covered in 2023:

• COVID-19 vaccines (by Association de Soutien aux Centres de Recherches, d'Enseignements et de Soins (ASCRES) - University of Geneva)
• Immunological Surveillance (by ASCRES - University of Geneva)
• Impact of COVID-19 on disadvantaged population groups (Unisanté – University of Lausanne)
• Long-term effects of COVID-19 (University of Zurich)
• Risk status of vulnerable people for severe symptoms (University of Geneva)
• Evidence on COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and measures (by ASCRES - University of Geneva)
• New communicative ways in prevention (Università della Svizzera italiana)
• Effectiveness of movement-friendly environments on health (Unisanté – University of Lausanne)

Number of reports delivered in 2023: 19

See published reports here.

Prototype Research Monitoring Database

To increase the diversity of expertise in the assignment of mandates for research by the FOPH, awareness and continuous monitoring of the research landscape in Switzerland is necessary. For that purpose, the SSPH+ Directorate developed a prototype database structure with research activities on non communicable diseases (NCD) and addiction, including potential solutions for an efficient integration and synchronisation of research information available in existing Swiss research databases in a central database. The prototype database includes research information from seven sources: SSPH+, the Administration Research Actions Management Information System (ARAMIS), Registry of all Projects in Switzerland (RAPS), Swiss National Clinical Trials Portal (SNCTP), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), University Children’s Hospital Zürich, Repertoire des Études D'UniSanté (R-DEUS). It includes linking of topics, institutions, experts, and publications/literature, and allows searching on topics, years, age groups, as well as geographic coverage.