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How sleep helps to process emotions

How sleep helps to process emotions

Researchers at the Department of Neurology of the University of Bern and University Hospital Bern identified how the brain triages emotions during dream sleep to consolidate the storage of positive emotions while dampening the consolidation of negative ones. The work expands the importance of sleep in mental health and opens new ways of therapeutic strategies.

Thank you in the name of Ukraine!

Thank you in the name of Ukraine!

We've exceeded our fundraising goal! The Medical Faculty set the goal to fundraise CHF 50'000.00 until May - with your precious help, we've even exceeded our goal and collected CHF 52'385.00 for the benefit of people in Ukraine. We thank all generous donors for their valuable help. The amount will be used by the Swiss Red Cross for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Visit our campaign https://actnow.redcross.ch/MedizinischeFakultaetBern/eigeneaktion

Special thanks to the children of the classes 3/4P & 5/6P of the Quartierschule Burgfeld for supporting your fundraising campaign for the benefit of Ukraine!

Special thanks to the children of the classes 3/4P & 5/6P of the Quartierschule Burgfeld for supporting your fundraising campaign for the benefit of Ukraine!

"We are sad about the situation in Ukraine. The images on TV are terrible, but they motivated us to help with this project, through which we were able to donate." (Statement of a pupil of the classes 3/4P & 5/6P) With your help, the Medical Faculty was able to reach the fundraising goal - you donated CHF 1'335 and supported our campaign significantly! Thank you all for your great commitment and your generous help for the benefit of Ukraine. The amount will be used by the Swiss Red Cross for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Visit our campaign supported by the Quartierschule Burgfeld https://actnow.redcross.ch/MedizinischeFakultaetBern/eigeneaktion

Obituary Dierk Matthäus 24.08.1964 – 27.03.2022

Obituary Dierk Matthäus 24.08.1964 – 27.03.2022

New Professor for Digital Pathology

New Professor for Digital Pathology

Prof. Inti Zlobec has been elected Associate Professor of Digital Pathology by the University Executive Board as of 1 April 2022. The Medical Faculty congratulates her on her election!

Young Talents in Clinical Research: Call 2022

Young Talents in Clinical Research: Call 2022

The Gottfried and Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation and the SAMS launched the Young Talents in Clinical Research (YTCR) funding program in 2017 to encourage more young medical doctors to start out in clinical research. At the end of the first funding period (2017 – 2020), the Bangerter Foundation has renewed its funding for four more years (2021 – 2024) with a total of 4 million francs to support young physicians with «protected time for research» and «project grants». Deadline: 30.06.2022.

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Dentistry – ZMK in the Top Ten

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Dentistry – ZMK in the Top Ten

Congratulations to the Zahnmedizinische Kliniken Universität Bern ZMK for rank 7 in the QS World University Rankings by subjects 2022: Dentistry!

Healthy Sleep – How does it work?

Healthy Sleep – How does it work?

The program "SRF Puls" on 28 March 2022 focusses on the issue of healthy sleep. Prof. Dr. med. Claudio Bassetti and Prof. Dr. sc. Tobias Nef from the research platfrom NeuroTec at sitem-insel explain the possibilities and limitations of modern sleep measurement. Watch this episode of «SRF Puls”.

Virtual Reality in Emergency Medicine

Virtual Reality in Emergency Medicine

In emergency medicine, all members of the treatment team are crucial to the health and survival of patients. Training routines ensure that the decisive moves are made correctly – and virtual reality is a great tool for this. Dr. med. Tanja Birrenbach explains how she plans and researches VR trainings for emergency teams. Read the interview with the emergency physician Dr. med. Tanja Birrenbach in the online magazine of the University of Bern

Our sleep shows how risk-seeking we are

Our sleep shows how risk-seeking we are

Each person has their own individual sleep profile which can be identified by the electrical brain activity during sleep. Researchers at the University of Bern have now demonstrated that the brain waves during periods of deep sleep in a specific area of the brain can be used to determine the extent of an individual’s propensity for risk during their everyday life.

A novel painless and reliable allergy test

A novel painless and reliable allergy test

Although allergies are widespread, their diagnosis is complex and, depending on the type of allergy, the prospects of success with therapy are not always clear. Skin tests so far have been unpleasant, time-consuming and associated with a certain risk of triggering an allergic overreaction. Researchers at the University of Bern and Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, have now developed a novel test that massively simplifies the diagnosis of allergies and can reliably predict the success of a therapy

Two scholars from Ukraine start at the Stroke Center and the Abdominal Center of the Inselspital

Two scholars from Ukraine start at the Stroke Center and the Abdominal Center of the Inselspital

The Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF, along with Scholars at Risk Switzerland, supports research stays of Ukrainian scholars in Switzerland. Scholars at Risk SAR is an international network of universities with the mission to protect academic freedom and to support threatened scholars. Scholars can apply for temporary placements in countries where they are safe. The stays allow them to pursue their own academic work or become involved in research at the host institution. As part of SNF Scholars at Risk, the two Ukrainian researchers and sisters Kateryna and Antonina Antonenko will start at the Inselspital on 1 April 1 2022 for 1 year each, with an option to extend. Prof. Dr. med. Kateryna Antonenko, MD, PhD is Associate Professor at Bogomolets National Medical University, Department of Neurology in Kiev and her research focus is on stroke, intracranial atherosclerosis, acute treatment and secondary prevention. She will be integrated in the project "Intracranial atherosclerotic stenoses in stroke patients with symptomatic disease in different vascular beds" by PD Dr. Mirjam Heldner at the Stroke Center of the Inselspital. Dr. med. Antonina Antonenko, MD, PhD is a consultant gastroenterologist and internal medicine physician at the Department of Surgery, Bogomolets National Medical University, where her research interest revolves around the assessment of risk factors for the development of porto-sinusoidal vascular disease, clinical manifestations and the risk of infectious complications after liver transplantations. She will be integrated in the project "Surveillance of primary liver cancer in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease" by Prof. Dr. med. Annalisa Berzigotti at the Abdominal Center of the Inselspital. The Medical Faculty wishes Kateryna and Antonina Antonenko a great start in Bern and welcomes them kindly!

EAN Statement in support of Ukraine

EAN Statement in support of Ukraine

Read the latest EAN (European Academy of Neurology) Statement of 18 March 2022 in English, Ukrainian or Russian.

Research Prize Swiss Hirnliga

Research Prize Swiss Hirnliga

This year’s research prize of the Swiss Hirnliga has been awarded to Dr. Laura Facchini, Prof. Antoine Adamantidis and Prof. Claudio L. A. Bassetti showing how sleep contributes to the treatment of stroke. Congratulations!

Financial Support for Early Career Researchers due to negative Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic

Financial Support for Early Career Researchers due to negative Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic

The call is still open (no deadline)! Through this fund, the Medical Faculty aims to support particularly talented students with high potential who have already achieved a certain scientific output and are enrolled in the 3rd or 4th year at a Graduate School of the University of Bern. The salary of doctoral students can be financed from this fund for a maximum of 6 months. The call for applications is open now, applications can be submitted continuously and without a deadline. Find more information on our website under “Current Tenders”.

Statement of the Medical Faculty on Academic Cooperation with Russian Universities

Statement of the Medical Faculty on Academic Cooperation with Russian Universities

The war in Ukraine has a significant impact on academic cooperation with Russia's universities. Many Russian researchers, students, teachers and academic institutions need our support as they suffer the effects without fault and some are doing their best to oppose the politics conducted by the Russian government. Moreover, the unbiased cooperation of members at Swiss universities, regardless of their nationality, is by all means worth protecting. However, what we also stand for, is the position that academic cooperation with Russian universities should in no way constitute support for the politics conducted by the Russian government. Swiss universities should review their academic cooperation with Russian universities in this regard and, if necessary, suspend it.

In memoriam: Prof. em. Dr. med. Harald Reuter (March 25, 1934 - February 23, 2022)

In memoriam: Prof. em. Dr. med. Harald Reuter (March 25, 1934 - February 23, 2022)

The Medical Faculty, University of Bern bids farewell to Prof. em. Dr. med. Harald Reuter (25 March 1934 – 23 February 2022), appreciated emeritus professor and pharmacologist. Harald Reuter had a large impact on the academic landscape in Bern and leaves impressive traces: He was Director of the Institute of Pharmacology for many years and Dean of the Medical Faculty. Harald Reuter studied human medicine in Freiburg i. B. and Innsbruck, obtained his doctorate and habilitation at the Pharmacological Institute of the University of Mainz, and followed an academic call to Bern in 1969. During his time as Professor of Pharmacology and from 1972 on Director of the Institute of Pharmacology, he completed research stays in the USA and was a visiting professor in Basel, Great Britain, Japan and China. His research activities were concentrated to fundamental questions of cardiac function. In the course of his research, he discovered, among other things, the sodium/calcium exchange in cardiac cells and the calcium current in cardiac membranes, as well as the respective functional significance in cardiac contraction. He has received various prizes and awards for his achievements in research and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Basel in 2010. His numerous memberships in national and international scientific academies and his position as Chairman of the Committee for Human Rights of the Swiss Academies of Sciences and of the International Network on Human Rights of Academies and Scholarly Societies illustrate his great and diverse commitment to research and science – and beyond. The Medical Faculty looks back on an outstanding personality and an impressive career and remains in gratitude and appreciation for the experienced collaboration with Harald Reuter.

Donate for aid in Ukraine!

Donate for aid in Ukraine!

The Medical Faculty, University of Bern has launched a fundraising campaign in aid of Ukraine. The donation is planned to be used for humanitarian purposes for those affected in Ukraine. Please help to reach our donation goal. Only together we are in solidarity! Thank you for your support! Prof. Claudio L. A. Bassetti Dean of the Medical Faculty, University of Bern on behalf of the entire Medical Faculty

Statement of the Medical Faculty on the Situation in Ukraine

Statement of the Medical Faculty on the Situation in Ukraine

The Medical Faculty of the University of Bern observes the military invasion of Ukraine initiated by the Russian government with the utmost concern and strongly condemns the violation of international law. Our thoughts are wholeheartedly with the Ukrainian people, but also with the courageous Russian scientists and citizens who publicly voice their disagreement with these actions ordered by the Russian government. As an academic institution, we believe that international scientific exchange is a fundamental criterion for peace in Europe and may not be interrupted; especially not in such difficult times of conflict. The Medical Faculty supports the statements of the All European Academies ALLEA and the European network of universities The Guild and in this sense calls for solidarity of all democratic states and all universities within Europe and urges the Russian government to stop the attack on the sovereign and democratic state of Ukraine and its population.

Innosuisse Start-Up Training

Innosuisse Start-Up Training

This spring term, the University of Bern will again offer a startup training program for researchers, professors and students of all faculties. Find more information on the module here https://entrepreneurship-training.ch/module2/bern/ Get to know the Enterpreneurship Center of the University of Bern here

Faculty Membership Based on Excellence

Faculty Membership Based on Excellence

The Medical Faculty offers the opportunity to join the faculty to researchers and lecturers conducting excellent research and/or teaching. This year's call is open until 30.04.2022! Find all information and forms here (in German)

Professor Dr Max Cloëtta Foundation: Call “Clinical Medicine Plus” Scholarship

Professor Dr Max Cloëtta Foundation: Call “Clinical Medicine Plus” Scholarship

Once again, the call for applications for the Clinical Medicine Plus scholarships, which are aimed at clinically active physicians during or immediately after completion of their residency training, is now open from 01.02.2022 - 31.05.2022. You can find all information about the call here

CAIM funds five translational projects in acute and preventive medicine

CAIM funds five translational projects in acute and preventive medicine

Twenty teams submitted their projects to the first CAIM Research Projects Fund call. After a peer-reviewed assessment by external reviewers and a pitching round, the CAIM Management and Steering Committee have selected five projects to be funded with up to CHF 100,000 each over the coming 24 months. Read more about it on the CAIM webpage

Three Bernese researchers receive Pfizer Prize

Three Bernese researchers receive Pfizer Prize

Three immunologists from the University of Bern and Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, have been awarded a Pfizer Research Prize for their work. The researchers have shown how our gut microbes influence the formation of antibodies.

Happy New Year from the Dean!

Happy New Year from the Dean!

Prof. Claudio L. A. Bassetti, Dean of the Medical Faculty, shares his best wishes for 2022.

New European master’s degree program on stroke

New European master’s degree program on stroke

Stroke is the second most common cause of death in Europe, affecting around 16,000 people in Switzerland every year. For this reason, the Medical Faculty of the University of Bern and the Stroke Center of the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, in collaboration with the European Stroke Organisation, are launching the MAS Stroke Medicine continuing education program: It will train the next generation of specialists in stroke medicine throughout Europe starting in spring 2022.

Vicepresident Division Biology & Medicine SNSF

Vicepresident Division Biology & Medicine SNSF

Congratulations to Prof. Claudia Kühni for being re-elected as Vicepresident of the Biology and Medicine division at Swiss National Science Foundation.

Sinergia Grant

Sinergia Grant

A Sinergia grant has been awarded to a team headed by Prof Andrew Macpherson to explore microbiota establishment during weaning.

New Vice-Rector for Research Elected

New Vice-Rector for Research Elected

The Cantonal Government has elected a new Vice-Rector to the Executive Board of the University. As of 1st January 2022, Prof. Dr. Hugues Abriel will take over the Vice-Rectorate Research.As of January 2022, Prof. Dr. Hugues Abriel will take over the Vice-Rectorate Research. He succeeds Prof. Dr. Daniel Candinas, who steps down at the end of 2021. As former Director of the Department for BioMedical Research and the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Hugues Abriel has longstanding knowledge of the university and extensive leadership experience.

Dr. Lutz and Dr. Celia Zwillenberg Prizes of the University of Bern

Dr. Lutz and Dr. Celia Zwillenberg Prizes of the University of Bern

One of this year's three Dr. Lutz and Dr. Celia Zwillenberg Prizes of the University of Bern has been awarded to Andrés Sanz-Morejón for the PhD thesis "Role of macrophages and epigenetic inheritance during cardiac regeneration in the zebrafish" at the Institute of Anatomy (group of Prof. Mercader). Congratulations!

CAIM Expert Directory online

CAIM Expert Directory online

To map the wealth of know-how in developing, validating, and translating AI technology into healthcare inside the Bern Medical Hub, CAIM is launching an Expert Directory. A first version of the Directory goes online today with a non-exhaustive list of clinical and data science experts from the University of Bern, Inselspital, UPD and sitem-insel. Registration is rolling and can be done at caim.unibe.ch/experts. Browse the Expert Directory here

Strategy 2030Second and third wave of COVID-19 hit nursing staff much harder

Second and third wave of COVID-19 hit nursing staff much harder

Compared to the first wave, nursing staff in Swiss hospitals were exposed to a significantly higher workload and greater time pressure during the second and third COVID 19 waves. As a result, nursing staff were less satisfied with their work and less likely to want to continue working in the nursing profession. This is shown by a survey conducted by the Institute of Management Accounting and Controlling at the University of Bern.

STAGE UP: The Bernese Business Creation Competition

STAGE UP: The Bernese Business Creation Competition

Do you have a promising business idea? Start your entrepreneurial journey with STAGE UP. By participating in the competition, you give your idea a chance and get a little closer to your own business. This is what you can win: CHF 18'000.-, an individual coaching as well as workshops, an instructive and exciting time. Apply until 3 Dec. 2021. STAGE UP is organized by the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship of the University of Bern, in cooperation with private and public partners.

When algorithms get creative

When algorithms get creative

Uncovering the mechanisms of learning via synaptic plasticity is a critical step towards understanding how our brains function and building truly intelligent, adaptive machines. Researchers from the University of Bern propose a new approach in which algorithms mimic biological evolution and learn efficiently through creative evolution.

Innovation Office: Your first point of contact for questions related to innovation and entrepreneurship

Innovation Office: Your first point of contact for questions related to innovation and entrepreneurship

Translating scientific results into innovative products or services – this aim is supported by the University of Bern through the UniBE Venture Fellowship program. The goal of the Fellowship is to develop application-focused research to validate the Proof-of-Concept and determine the potential for commercialization.

Strategy 2030 of the Medical Faculty

Strategy 2030 of the Medical Faculty

Striving for excellence in teaching, research and top medicine – The Medical Faculty launched its Strategy 2030.

Prof. Claudio L. A. Bassetti interviewed by CAIM

Prof. Claudio L. A. Bassetti interviewed by CAIM

Prof. Bassetti, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern, talks in an interview about the opportunities and challenges of digitalized medicine - and what lessons can be learned from the Corona pandemic for the medicine of the future. Read the interview with Prof. Bassetti on the webseite of CAIM.