The SHCS Foundation’s Board of Trustees
President: Prof. Huldrych Günthard, Zürich
Huldrych Günthard has joint appointments at the Department of Infectious Diseases (Deputy Director) and the Institute of Virology (affiliated researcher).
His research interests focus on the emergence of resistance of HIV-1 to anti-retroviral drugs, on antiretroviral treatment efficacy, the latent HIV-1 reservoir, low level viremia, HIV primary infection and transmission, the immune response to HIV (in particular the evolution of broadly neutralizing antibodies), and on HIV pathogenesis and medicine in general. He has conducted various investigator initiated clinical trials. He is the past-president of the SHCS (2012-2024) and member of the IAS-USA panel on antiretroviral treatment recommendations and of the IAS-USA Drug Resistance Mutations Group. Furthermore he has served as a member of the research council of the Swiss National Science foundation 2008-2018, is a member of the Human Medical Expert Commission of Swissmedic and of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences. He is co-author of > 500 peer reviewed publications.
Treasurer: Prof. Bernard Hirschel, Geneva
From 1988 to 2011, Bernard Hirschel he directed the HIV/AIDS unit of the Geneva University Hospital. He is the author or co-author of more than 400 scientific publications.
After his retirement from the HIV/AIDS unit, he directed the Research Ethics Committee of Geneva from 2011 to 2023. He has honorary degrees of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences and the Universities of Geneva and Basel.
Prof. Andri Rauch, Berne
Andri Rauch is director and chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern.
His research focuses on HIV and viral hepatitis. He is the responsible investigator of numerous research projects relating to virus-host interactions, natural history and treatment outcomes in persons living with HIV and viral hepatitis (Publications_Rauch). He is the current president of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study.
Prof. Manuel Battegay, Basel
Manuel Battegay led the Div. of Infectious Diseases & Hospital Epidemiology at the University Hospital Basel until 2023 and is Professor emeritus of Infectious Diseases at the University of Basel. He authored or co-authored over 600 scientific publications in the field of infectiology. He served as President of the European AIDS Clinical Society and Chair of the European HIV/AIDS Guidelines. He was Vice-president of the Swiss National Covid-19 Science Task Force. He co-founded and since 2019 co-leads the Western-Eastern European Partnership Initiative on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and TB (WEEPI). Since 2024 he is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Gebert Rüf Stiftung. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the University Hospital Basel and is President of the Advisory Commission for International Cooperation for the Swiss Government.
Dr. Bertino Somaini, Worb
Bertino Somaini has a wide expertise in Public Health, Prevention and Health Promotion. He is consultant on prevention and health promotion to the WHO, UNICEF and other organizations. Before establishing his own company, Bertino Somaini was CEO of Health Promotion Switzerland. He worked with the University of Zurich and was vice director of the Federal Office of Public Health (Switzerland). During this time he developed national programs and campaigns concerning HIV/Aids. He was city physician in Zurich and head of a nursing home.
Prof. em. Rainer Weber, Zürich
Rainer Weber is Professor Emeritus in Infectious Diseases at the University of Zurich and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Zurich. He is the former Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology at the University Hospital of Zurich, which he headed between 1997 and 2020. He was also very involved in teaching medical students, in postgraduate medical training and continuing medical education. His research interests included clinical aspects of HIV infection, microsporidia and other intestinal parasites as well as the rational use of antibiotics. Since his retirement at the University Hospital, he is working as a general internist and primary care physician at mediX Zurich in Altstetten. At mediX, he is also involved in the development of best practice clinical guidelines in the field of infectious diseases.