Personalized health

For science and society

While the growing quantity of health data offers major opportunities for medical research and public health, the collection, storage and analysis of data raise numerous questions about quality, security and ownership as well as the key issues of comparability and interoperability. Against this background, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences have defined personalized health as a strategic topic to be jointly addressed by the member bodies over the period 2017–2020.

Swiss Personalized Health Network

The Swiss federal authorities identified the opportunities and challenges of personalized health and in 2017 launched the national funding initiative “Swiss Personalized Health Network” (SPHN) with the aim of promoting Education, Research and Innovation (ERI). The mission of the SPHN is to create an infrastructure that will connect medical data from partner institutions (hospitals with research centres, universities etc.). The SAMS assumes organizational, legal and financial responsibility for establishing the SPHN.

Personalized health under discussion

Do I want to know my risk of having a heart attack? Should I make my health data available to research?  And who will be allowed access to this data? With questions like these, the Academies - under the auspices of Science et Cité - have invited the public to engage in a dialogue. As part of the project “The made-to-measure person: personalized health”, online questions could be answered and public dialogue events could be attended in German- or French-speaking Switzerland.  The brochure “Personalized health under discussion” provides a picture of the opinions of the population group concerned.

"Mensch nach Mass" - personalisierte Gesundheit im Gespräch eine virtuelle Podiumsdiskussion

Personalisierte Gesundheit basiert auf unzähligen personenspezifischen Daten – und betrifft früher oder später alle von uns. Bei allen Möglichkeiten, die diese Entwicklungen bieten, tauchen auch viele gesellschaftliche, juristische und ethische Fragen auf. Was hält die Bevölkerung eigentlich von diesem Wandel? Das Projekt «Mensch nach Mass» der Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz hat mit der Öffentlichkeit einen Dialog geführt, um herauszufinden, welche Hoffnungen und Befürchtungen die Menschen mit der personalisierten Gesundheit verbinden. In dieser Veranstaltung diskutieren wir die Ergebnisse des Projekts und werfen einen Blick in die Zukunft. Auf Fragen und Inputs aus dem Publikum sind wir sehr gespannt und verhandeln diese gerne. Es diskutieren:

• Matthias Ammann, Stiftung Science et Cité, Projektleiter «Mensch nach Mass»
• Matthias Hochhuth, Pfarrer in den Kirchgemeinden Arch und Leuzigen, nutzt die Projektergebnisse für seine seelsorgliche Arbeit
• Dr. med. Chantal Pauli, Institut für Pathologie und Molekularbiologie, Universitätsspital Zürich

Moderation: Claudia Appenzeller, exec. MPA, Generalsekretärin der Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz

Health data and digital technology internationally - How can the health system be improved? A virtual panel discussion

Today, doctors can already make more precise diagnoses based on data. Personalized therapies are increasingly being developed. In the context of Covid-19, public awareness around the handling of health data has raised. But health data is sensitive and can be misused. How must the use of this data be regulated nationally and internationally in order to benefit everyone in the best way possible? We will discuss the general situation, the concept of the “Green Certificate/ Immunity Certificate” and the role of international Geneva in developing the necessary framework conditions.

This event is co-organised by the Swiss Academies and the grassroots think tank foraus, which promotes constructive foreign policy and an informed dialogue.

Introduction: Florence Balthasar, MA, Board Member of foraus

Panel:

• Dr. Katrin Crameri Director of the Personalized Health Informatics Group at Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics SIB, Member of the National Steering Boards at Swiss Personalized Health Network SPHN
• Moritz Fegert, MA Project manager and author: “Health Data Governance: What’s in it for Switzerland”, foraus Agata Ferretti, PhD (completed) Health Ethics Policy Lab, ETH Zurich
• Prof. Marcel Salathé Epidemiologist, Head of the Lab of Digital Epidemiology, EPF Lausanne

Moderation: Claudia Appenzeller, exec. MPA, Secretary General of the Swiss Academies