Marcel Tanner hands over Swiss TPH leadership to Jürg Utzinger

On June 30^th 2015, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute organized a solemn farewell party for Professor Marcel Tanner. After 18 years working as Director, Marcel Tanner is handing over the leadership of Swiss TPH to his successor Jürg Utzinger. During his three terms, Prof. Tanner and his colleagues have made the institute as the world leading in health research. About 700 employees, researchers & health specialists from over 60 nations are committed to improving health locally, nationally and globally. He has shaped Swiss TPH into a highly efficient innovation hub, which extends from basic research to the implementation of health programs. The institute has over 500 publications per year and build strong partner institutions in Africa and Asia.

Marcel Tanner and Swiss TPH have been a great support towards to development of the Center for Public Health and Ecosystem Research (CENPHER) of the Hanoi School of Public Health (HSPH) in Vietnam. A number of researchers and students of HSPH have been trained at Swiss TPH since 2008. A MoU was signed among three parties (HSPH, Swiss TPH and Eawag) in 2008 to promote research partnership and several research agreements were signed between HSPH and Swiss TPH for 2009-2013. Another MoU was signed between HSPH and Swiss TPH on the occasion of the visit of the Swiss State Secretariat for Research, Education and Innovation on the 12^th of June 2014.

In this occasion, HSPH has presented Prof. Marcel Tanner a token of appreciation for all his outstanding contribution to the activities in improving training and research of the school. On behalf of HSPH, Dr. Nguyen Viet Hung attended the hand-over ceremony in Basel and presented the token of appreciation to Prof. Tanner.

Dr. Nguyen Viet Hung handling the HSPH token of appreciation to Prof. Marcel Tanner in Basel on 30 June 2015

Marcel Tanner will remain closely connected to Swiss TPH in various mandates. Until his full retirement he will continue to teach as Professor of Epidemiology and Medical Parasitological at the Natural Sciences Faculty and the Medical Faculty of the University of Basel.

More information: http://www.swisstph.ch/news-events/news/news/news/marcel-tanner-hands-over-swiss-tph-leadership-to-juerg-utzinger.html