The Walter and Gertrud Siegenthaler Foundation hands out two awards each year to promote junior medical researchers at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zurich.
On December 14, 2023, the Zurich Academy of Internal Medicine (ZAIM), the Walter Siegenthaler Society for Progress in Internal Medicine and the Walter and Gertrud Siegenthaler Foundation honored the former professor in memory of his significant life's work on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Walter Siegenthaler's birth. The symposium highlighted developments in medical innovation and medical decision-making. Among other things, former award winners of the Walter and Gertrud Siegenthaler Foundation provided insights into the latest advances in medicine and highlighted the profound impact of Walter Siegenthaler's work.
Most German-speaking physicians are familiar with the name Siegenthaler. The highly talented Gertrud Siegenthaler was the senior physician for internal medicine at the Swiss Nursing School in Zurich and later served as chief of service at the UniversityHospital Zurich. Her husband, Walter Siegenthaler, also dedicated his life to medicine. As head of clinic, physician, teacher and author, he led an active life. Walther Siegenthaler had an excellent reputation among his peers and was also well known by the general public. With his great passion for teaching, he was a highly popular professor and member of the teaching staff. His work was honored with several awards.
The Board of Trustees is composed of the following persons:
On the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2003, Walter Siegenthaler established the Walter and Gertrud Siegenthaler Foundation to promote junior researchers at UZH’s Faculty of Medicine. Each year, the foundation hands out threeseparate awards on the occasion of Dies academicus: A research grant, a science award as well as a return grant.
See also the Dies academicus overview page
The foundation presents young researchers in the Faculty of Medicine with grants for research purposes in Switzerland and abroad for a duration of one to two years. The research grant is worth CHF 62,500 per year.
Dr. med. Julia Velz, Senior Physician at the University Hospital Zurich, Clinic for Neurosurgery
Research focus: "Integrative omics profiling of medulloblastoma subgroups and discovery of unrecognized signaling pathways".
Dr. med. Adrian-Minh Schumacher, Assistant Physician at the University Hospital Zurich, Clinic for Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatics
Research focus: "Body fluid biomarkers of cognitive fatigue".
The foundation presents its science award to excellent young researchers at the UZH Faculty of Medicine for outstanding scientific achievements at an internationally competitive level in the area of clinical or translational medical research. The award comes with prize money of CHF 20,000.
Dr. med. Dr. sc. med. (MD PhD) Kevin Akeret, Senior Physician at the University Hospital Zurich, Clinic for Neurosurgery
Research focus: "Innovative pathophysiological, diagnostic and therapeutic concepts for primary brain tumors and intracranial bleeding".
Dr. Flurin Cathomas, Senior Physician and Head of the Working Group at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich
Research focus: "Translational Stress Research".
The foundation presents its new return grant to excellent young researchers, who return to Switzerland after a research stay abroad and supports them by financing protected research time for the initial period after returning to Zurich.
Requirements Return Grant (English version available soon)
Please fill in the relevant application form and submit it by 1 December along with the requested documents as 1 PDF by e-mail to:
PD Dr. Ulrike Weber
ulrike.weber@uzh.ch
+41 44 634 48 13
2023 Research Fellowship
Dr. med. Florentia Dimitriou, Senior Physician at the University Hospital Zurich, Dermatology Clinic
Delineating the role of the microbiome and immunotherapy response across melanoma subtypes
2023 Science Award
Prof. Dr. med. Viktor Kölzer, Physician at the University Hospital Zurich, Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology
Image-based Molecular Classification of Colorectal Cancer
2022 Research Fellowship
MD, PhD Alexander Ring, Assistant Physician at the University Hospital Zurich, Clinic for Medical Oncology and Hematology
Establishing a translational liquid biopsy platform for biomarker discovery and therapeutic targeting of micrometastatic dormancy in breast cancer
2022 Science Award
PD Dr. med. André Euler, Physician at the University Hospital Zurich, Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology
Bone Mineral Density Quantification from Localizer Radiographs: Accuracy and Precision of Energy-integrating Detector CT and Photon-counting Detector CT
2021 Research Fellowship
Dr. med. Dr. sc. nat. Andrea A. Mauracher, Physician at the University Children's Hospital Zurich, General Paediatrics
Mechanisms of human CD8 T cell dysfunction in monogenic disorders of STAT signaling
2021 Science Award
Dr. med. Stefano Luigi Barco, PhD, Physician at the Clinic for Angiology at the University Hospital Zurich
Epidemiology and risk-adjusted treatment of venous thromboembolism and its long-term complications
