Alumni
One of the main objectives of the Swiss Learning Health System (SLHS) is to train young researchers to understand and conduct high quality research in the intersection of practice, policy and research.
These former PhD students who were part of the SLHS were actively contributing to the learning cycles by working on Policy Briefs and participating in Stakeholder Dialogues.
Alessio De Santo
Alessio’s main research interests resided in information systems, more precisely in the elaboration of decision support systems; embracing the areas of knowledge management and decision-making.
Eliane Maalouf
Eliane's contribution to the SLHS was in the area of the design and development of the meta date repository. This repository will integrate heterogeneous data sources relevant to the Swiss public health domain and health services research, and it will model the knowledge extracted from these sources. The realization of this meta data repository poses many research challenges in computer sciences, like integrating unstructured sources, allowing search and data analysis capabilities on the extracted knowledge alongside data management and protection.
Aron Baumann
Aron's research was concerned with role of evidence in policymaking about public health and health systems.
Anne Christine Heerdegen
Anne Christine’s doctoral research focused on health systems strengthening in low – and middle income countries, with a particular focus on local health system management.
Dario Picecchi
Dario's research interests are in the areas of public law and health law. In his PhD-thesis with the title «Das Wirtschaftlichkeitsgebot im Krankenversicherungsrecht», he analyzed the cost-effectiveness requirement under the Swiss Health Insurance Act (KVG).
Ladina Zegg
Ladina is a lawyer with professional experience in the public and private sector. Her dissertation was on the topic of "Benefit Sharing: Entitlement to Share Research Results.
Yanmei Liu
Yanmei's research aimed to help individuals make more informed decisions in health insurance. Her research focused on choices of health plans and related factors, which include but are not limited to health insurance literacy, health status, and sociodemographic characteristics.
Kathryn Dawson Townsend
Kathryn's doctoral research focused on the relationship between social capital (social participation and social support) and health-related outcomes for older adults, as well as informal caregiving.
Renata Josi
Renata’s research aimed at analysing the implementation of new roles of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs), registered nurses (RNs) and medical practice assistants (MPAs) in Swiss primary care (PC) by investigating the skill mix of PC teams as well as anaysing the roles and tasks of APNs, RNs and MPAs and interprofessional collaboration within newly evolving care models.
Evaristo Roncelli
Evaristo's research interests focused on policies and tools to improve integration and collaboration in the nursing home sector, as well as on premium subsidies and other support mechanisms to low income households in the statutory health insurance.
Yael Rachamin
Yael's PhD research focused on prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in Swiss primary care based on electronic medical records of general practicioners (www.fireproject.ch). Besides describing preventive activities of general practicioners (i.e.assessment and treatment of metabolic risk factors), she aimed to assess guideline concordance of these activities and to find determinants thereof.
Rahel Meier
Rahel's research aimed to assess quality of care in Swiss primary care based on electronic medical records data of general practicioners (www.fireproject.ch). She investigated whether specific domains, prone to under- or overuse in Swiss primary care, can be adressed by data available within the FIRE database. She focused on whether the extent of under- and overuse and its associated characteristics can be described and on whether financial incentives have an impact quality of care.
Santosh Mannamplackal
Santhosh’s main research interests lie in public and health management. During his Ph.D., he focused on the emergence of integrated delivery systems, by analyzing different services and best-practices.
Nahara Anani Martinez Gonzalez
Nahara conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses in topics pertaining to health services research in primary care. She focusse on shared decision making for prostate cancer, and on the prescribing and use of antibiotics for primary care patients with respiratory tract infections. Her work will evolve to encompass primary research studies of the quality of prescribing and use of antibiotics in primary care in Switerland - as a contribution to fighting antibiotic resistances.
Chantal Arditi
Chantal Arditi has been working since 2006 as a research associate at the Institute of social and preventive medicine in Lausanne, conducting satisfaction and experience surveys, comprehensive and systematic reviews (e.g. Cochrane), and healthcare evaluations of complex interventions (e.g. chronic disease management programs). Her PhD project focusses on patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experiences measures (PREMs).
Adrian Spiess
Adrian's doctoral research focused on health policy. His research produced evidence on current challenges in providing and accessing rehabilitation services in Switzerland that can inform policy-making at the national and sub-national levels.
Martina Tollkühn
Martina's research project addressed pastoral workers in hospitals in Zurich and issues related to existing or contemplated privacy issues.
Sabine Baggenstos
Sabine's dissertation in the field of Canon Law / State-Church Law addressed the following topic: Under current canon law, any person suffering from permanent impotence is enjoined from marrying in church - which for Roman Catholics actually is the only marriage both valid and desirable. However, the legislatioin contradicts other national and international law such as the Swiss Federal Constitution and the UN Convention on Disability. Sabine's aim and Intention of her PhD thesis was to discuss and develop possible solutions to solve this problem. Sabine's dissertation in the field of Canon Law / State-Church Law was awarded by the University Association at the Dies Academicus 2021 as the best dissertation of the Faculty of Theology.
Lea Ettlin
Lea's doctoral research focused on guiding the implementation of the guidelines recommendation - exercise and education - for the conservative management of knee osteoarthritis in Switzerland.
Michael Stucki
Michael's main research interests were factors affecting health care expenditures in Switzerland and general cost-of illness studies. He was working on a decomposition of Swiss health care expenditures into various dimensions, including diseases, affected health care services, and demographic groups. Results from this research are expected to provide insights into the driving factors behind changes in health care expenditures over time.
Nicola Aebi
At the interface of of mental and somatic health at hospital-level, Nicola's research focused on evaluating the implementation of a stepped and collaborative care model in Basel-Stadt.
Ana Cecilia Quiroga Gutierrez
Ana’s research focused on how individuals navigate the Swiss Health Insurance System. Her research investigated the roles of Health Insurance Literacy, decision support tools, among other factors; on health insurance selection and utilization.
Eva Manser
(former research associate)
Eva Manser has a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. She continued working as a research associate after working as a student research assistant in the Swiss Learning Health System (SLHS) at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine at the University of Lucerne where she pursued her Master's degree in Health Sciences with a major in Health Economics and Health Policy.