Faculty of Medicine

The Medical Faculty is one of the largest in Switzerland with about 2,100 students in Bachelor, Master and further education programs (CAS, DAS, MAS). It consists of University clinics and institutes from 3 organizations (University of Bern, University Psychiatric Services UPD and Insel Hospital).

The Medical Faculty actively promotes research and teaching in the area of human medicine and has an important contribution in scientific knowledge transfer and its progress. Furthermore, it is responsible for the education of students as well as for tasks in the area of continuing training and further education of physicians and dentists. Undergraduate teaching at the highest level, practical relevance and intensive support of the students are some of the central tasks of the Medical Faculty. The popularity of our teaching is reflected by the number of medical students enrolled, which has increased continuously in the last decade and is the highest in Switzerland. Beginning in September 2018, we have accepted an additional 100 first-year students. The University Hospitals (Insel Hospital and UPD) as well as the Dental School offer a well-founded theoretical, broadly diversified and practice-oriented study.

In addition, the Faculty of Medicine of Bern provides excellent opportunities for high-quality and future-oriented research. The spectrum extends from basic research in the pre-clinical institutions and the Department of Biomedical Research (DBMR) – which offers all researchers from the clinics of the Insel Hospital and UPD excellent opportunities including infrastructure and technical support – to translational and clinical research. Clinical research by the Clinical Trial Unit (CTU), affiliated to the Departement of Clinical Research (DCR), which is being developed, supports and offers possibility for cooperation in large international trials.

News and Events

Inaugural Lectures

Dean's office will be closed effective immediately and until further notice

The Dean's Office will be closed effective immediately and until further notice due to the spread of the coronavirus.

You can also reach us via: info@meddek.unibe.ch
The letterbox "Dekanat" is accessible until 18:00 o'clock.

Instruction habilitations during Corona

Due to the Corona situation, the faculty management has issued new directives for habilitation.

Why SARS-CoV-2 replicates better in the upper respiratory tract

A team of researchers from the Institute for Infectious Diseases (IFIK) at the University of Bern and the Federal Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) have assessed virus growth and activation of the cellular defense mechanisms in the respiratory tract. They have shown that natural temperature differences that exist in the upper and lower respiratory tract have a profound influence on SARS-CoV-2 replication and subsequent innate immune activation in human cells. The findings can help to develop antiviral drugs and preventive measures.

Postgraduate programs Academy of Sleep and Consciousness ASC

In July 2021 (application deadline April 30), the new edition of Prof. Bassetti's CAS in Sleep, Consciousness and Related Disorders will be launched

Opening Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (CAIM)

The "Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine" brings together leading medical and engineering research with active digitalization efforts in healthcare at the Bern Medical Hub. Using artificial intelligence developments CAIM will bring forward new technologies for healthcare to enable tailored and efficient patient care. CAIM will be inaugurated on Friday, March 19, 2021 at a digital event with a panel discussion and a keynote lecture by AI for advanced healthcare pioneer Gregory D. Hager, Johns Hopkins University as part of a scientific symposium on AI in medicine research.

Predicting success in therapy with individualized cancer models

Scientists at Urology Research Laboratory of the Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern and Urology Department of the Inselspital of Bern, have established organoid culture models from prostate tumor biopsies. These are small clusters of cells which can be used to test the efficacy of various drugs. In this way, it is possible to test which treatment will most likely benefit individual patients.

Combating adhesions in the abdomen

Adhesions in the abdomen, such as those that form after surgery, often have serious consequences. Now, researchers from the University of Bern and Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, in collaboration with Canadian researchers, have discovered how such adhesions form. The findings may help to develop a drug to prevent adhesions in the future. The study was published as a cover story by the journal "Science".

How to track the variants of the pandemic faster

A global group of researchers is calling for better integration of viral genetics, bioinformatics, and public health to enable better pandemic response now and better pandemic preparedness in the future. In a comment piece in the journal Nature, an international collaboration of specialists in viral and genetic analysis, led by Swiss scientists Dr. Emma Hodcroft at the University of Bern and Prof. Christophe Dessimoz at University of Lausanne, both at the SIB Swiss institute of Bioinformatics, alongside Dr. Nick Goldman at EMBL-EBI in the UK, lay out the ‘bioinformatics bottlenecks’ that are hindering response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and propose ways to ‘clear the road’ for better tools and approaches. Here are the key take home messages and perspective from the Swiss angle.

First Covid 19 wave meant more stress for nursing staff

Nursing staff in Swiss hospitals experienced significantly more stress and a higher workload during the first Covid 19 wave than in 2019. In addition, satisfaction with pay fell sharply, while job satisfaction rose slightly. That's according to a survey of more than 4,100 nurses at 19 hospitals conducted by the Institute of Management Accounting and Control at the University of Bern on the work situation.

Bernese researchers build sophisticated "lung on a chip»

Researchers at the University of Bern and Inselspital, University Hospital Bern have developed a second-generation lung model with life-size alveoli in a purely biological, stretchable membrane. The new model replicates lung tissue much more lifelike than previous lungs-on-chip. This opens up new possibilities for basic research, lung disease research, drug testing and precision medicine.

Only 14% of the Bernese population have antibodies against coronavirus

In the canton of Bern, only 14% of the adult population were infected with the coronavirus and developed antibodies against SARS-Cov-2. These are the preliminary results of a seroprevalence study coordinated by the Swiss School of Public Health and carried out in Bern by the University of Bern in cooperation with the Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern.

Four Bernese researchers receive Pfizer Prize

This year, four of a total of fifteen Pfizer Research Prizes have been awarded to physicians from the University of Bern and the Inselspital, University Hospital Bern. The award-winning work deals with leukemia, cardiac arrhythmias and the fever threshold in children and adolescents with cancer.

A NEAT reduction of complex neuronal models accelerates brain research

Unlike their simple counterparts in artificial intelligence (AI) applications, neurons in the brain use dendrites – their intricate tree-like branches – to find relevant chunks of information. Now, neuroscientists from the University of Bern have discovered a new computational method to make complex dendrite models much simpler. These faithful reductions may lead AI applications to process information much like the brain does.

Bernese Award for Environmental Research 2021 call for applications

The Bernese Award for Environmental Research aims to promote disciplinary and interdisciplinary research in the environmental sciences/sustainability at the University of Bern. The award totalling CHF 15,000. Nominations for 2021 should be sent by 8 February 2021.

Bernhard Pulver appointed honorary professor at the University of Bern

Bernhard Pulver, long-time Director of Education of the Canton of Bern, has been appointed Honorary Professor of the University of Bern. The appointment recognizes his political commitment to the University of Bern and the Swiss higher education landscape, as well as his current teaching activities at the Faculty of Law.

"When the winds of change blow, some build walls and others build windmills."

Ladies and Gentlemen
We look back on a year with many challenging situations. Thank you very much for your tireless commitment and the trusting cooperation during this time.
Happy holidays and a healthy New Year!
Kind regards
Claudio Bassetti, Dean

Thomas Sauter receives an endowed professorship in emergency telemedicine

Thomas Sauter, Head of Education, eHealth and Emergency Telemedicine at Bern University Hospital's emergency center has been appointed by the University Executive Board for an endowed professorship in emergency telemedicine. The assistant professorship was established thanks to the support of the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS). It deals with "eHealth" in the field of emergency medicine and is one of the very few of its kind in the world.

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