Vetsuisse Faculty

News

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2026-02

Continuing Education

9 new doctorates

At its meeting on May 11, the faculty council approved nine dissertations, awarding seven female veterinarians and two male veterinarians their doctoral degrees. The candidates fulfilled all criteria and are now entitled to use the title “Dr. med. vet.”

to the list of graduates

Research

Awards for the next generation at the Swine Clinic

Francesca Grech, doctoral student and research assistant at the Swine Clinic, was awarded first place for her presentation at the “News from Science” event during the "Schweizerische Tierärztetage" in Bern. Lisa Gmür was equally successful, taking third place for her master’s thesis.

Research

First Prize for Pia Cigler

At the Swiss Veterinary Congress, the Swiss Association for Veterinary Laboratory Diagnostics (SVVLD) awarded Pia Cigler, a PhD candidate at FIWI, first prize for the best doctoral student presentation.

Research

Award for Paula Billmann

Paula Billmann, a doctoral student at ISME, was awarded the prize for best presentation at the Veterinary Conference for her talk.

Biosafety

Biosafety zones at the Vetsuisse Faculty

At the Bern Tierspital, we treat animals with potentially contagious diseases. To prevent infections in humans or transmission to other animals, we have reorganized the campus into biosecurity zones. Unauthorized persons are prohibited from entering these zones, which are marked with colored paint. Thank you for your understanding.

Vetsuisse Faculty

VPHI: One Year After the Restructuring

The Veterinary Public Health Institute (VPHI) once again attracted substantial amounts of external funding for its research initiatives and actively supported the careers of early-career researchers. The research findings were widely published and frequently cited. In the recently published biennial report, the institute’s leadership looks back on the activities and changes at the institute and looks ahead: “The next generation of researchers is enthusiastic to contribute to the welfare of humans and animals through innovative research.”

To the VPHI Annual Report

Vetsuisse Faculty

IPA: Steady and successful growth across all core areas

Internationally competitive research with substantial external funding, major scientific publications, a network of collaborative partners, effective teaching, and consistently high quality and reliability in diagnostic services underscore the Institute of Parasitology’s performance and visibility.

IPA Annual Report (available in German only)

Personnel

Luís Pedro Gomes do Carmo is the president of SVEPM

Luís Pedro Gomes do Carmo, Senior Research Fellow at the Veterinary Public Health Institute, has assumed the presidency of the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (SVEPM).

Research

Sven Rottenberg elected to the Academia Europaea

Sven Rottenberg, Director of the Institute of Veterinary Pathology and Group Leader of the Cancer Therapy Resistance Cluster, has been elected a member of the Academia Europaea “due to outstanding achievements as a researcher.” This prestigious scientific society promotes European research and advises governments and international organizations on scientific matters.

Studies

op Academic Performance in Animal Nutrition

Gian-Andrea Ehrler has been honored by the H. Wilhelm Schaumann Foundation for the best academic achievement in the field of animal nutrition. His master’s thesis, titled “Functions of Oxytocin During Estrus, Pregnancy, Lactation, and the Peripartum Period in Farm Animals,” was supervised by Josef Gross of the Department of Veterinary Physiology.

Studies

58 Master's degree graduates

On April 24, 2026, the Vetsuisse Faculty in Bern celebrated its 58 most recent master’s graduates. After five and a half years, the veterinary students completed their studies with the degree “Master of Veterinary Medicine”.

Studies

2025 Alumni Master’s Award goes to Brühlhart, Gmür, and Küng

The 2025 Alumni Award for the best veterinary medicine master’s thesis goes to Livia Brühlhart, Lisa Gmür, and Betting Küng. The award was presented by Peter Stucki during the graduation ceremony in Bern on April 24.

Research

Young Scientist Paper Award

The young scientist paper award is designed as a form of support and encouragement for young researchers from the Vetsuisse Faculty at the early stage of their career.

Apply until May 31

Research

The IVI in the Fight Against Epizootic Diseases

In the video, Claudia Bachofen explains the key role played by the Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) in the diagnosis and research of highly contagious animal diseases.

QS World University Ranking

Vetsuisse remains a leader

According to the ranking published on Wednesday, the Vetsuisse Faculty, with its two campuses in Bern and Zurich, is ranked twelfth in the world. While the faculty’s reputation as an employer improved based on data collected in the spring of 2025, both its academic reputation and other research metrics have declined slightly compared to 2025.

Research

Rearing conditions influence the immune system of brown trout

For the first time, researchers at the University of Bern have studied the immune system of brown trout cell by cell and compiled an overview of the gene activity in each cell. The study shows the diversity of the immune system of this ecologically important fish species, which is protected in Switzerland, and demonstrates that rearing conditions can leave measurable traces in the immune cells.

Media Release

Continuing Education

11 new doctorates

At its meeting on March 09, the faculty council approved eleven dissertations, awarding nine female veterinarians and two male veterinarians their doctoral degrees. The candidates fulfilled all criteria and are now entitled to use the title “Dr. med. vet.”

to the list of graduates

MCID

The SPREAD 13 | 26

In the anniversary edition marking the fifth anniversary of the MCID, the focus is, for once, not on research. The newsletter is dedicated to the other important activities and achievements of the center, which is committed to researching and reducing the health, social, ethical, and economic risks posed by infectious diseases.

Read now

Brain Week 2026

The human brain in digital transformation

Exciting lectures and stimulating discussions will shed light on the latest advances in brain research from different perspectives. There will be a special focus on the influence of the digital world on the brain and the role of artificial intelligence in brain research.

March 16 – 19

Research

Domestic cats may hold the key to understanding breast cancer

An international research team with participation from Bern has conducted the world's first comprehensive genetic study of cancer in domestic cats. The study shows that some of the genetic changes in cat tumors closely resemble those found in human cancers. These parallels open up new perspectives for developing targeted cancer therapies, particularly for breast cancer.

press release

Research

Toxin-receptor interaction decoded

Researchers at the Institute of Animal Pathology, the Institute of Anatomy, and EPFL were able to identify the cellular receptor of the NetF toxin and visualize its binding at the molecular level.NetF is a pore-forming-toxin secreted by the bacterium Clostridium perfringens and thought to play a role in enteritis in dogs and horses. The results, published in Nature Communications, represent an important step toward new therapeutics for bacterial infections.

Research

For faster differentiation between BVDV and BDV antibodies

Katja Moser talks about her journey in developing a diagnostic test for bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) in the blog of the Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI).

Read now!

Research

COLOSS Poster Prize for Michael Muturi

PhD student Michael Muturi was awarded the Student Poster Prize at the COLOSS Conference in Copenhagen for his poster “Small hive beetles (cf.) can infest natural stingless bee nests in Africa.”

Studies

Online-self-assessment veterinary medicine

The new OSA for veterinary medicine provides general information about the degree program and an initial insight into the fields of work open to veterinarians. It enables prospective students to compare their expectations with reality.

Do it now!

University of Bern

Orientation & Welcome for New International Master’s and PhD students

UniBE International cordially invites all regular international master's and PhD students to an Orientation & Welcome Event on Monday, 9 Feburary 2026. Students will be provided with general information about studying at the University of Bern and life in Bern and Switzerland. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to go on a guided city walk through Bern's old town.

Continuing Education

CAS One Health

In 9 modules, the CAS One Health training provides the theoretical and practical foundations of the One Health approach from a variety of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral prisms. Participants learn to think and collaborate beyond their area of expertise. They deepen their knowledge of systemic problematics typical of One Health, focusing on the Swiss and European contexts.

Vetsuisse Faculty

Animal Clinic and institutes

Department of Clinical ‌Veterinary Science

Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP)

Department of Clinical Research and ‌Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)

Faculty-wide structures

Strategic centers

Core Facilities

News

2026-02

9 new doctorates

Awards for the next generation at the Swine Clinic

First Prize for Pia Cigler

Award for Paula Billmann

Biosafety zones at the Vetsuisse Faculty

VPHI: One Year After the Restructuring

IPA: Steady and successful growth across all core areas

Luís Pedro Gomes do Carmo is the president of SVEPM

Sven Rottenberg elected to the Academia Europaea

op Academic Performance in Animal Nutrition

58 Master's degree graduates

2025 Alumni Master’s Award goes to Brühlhart, Gmür, and Küng

Young Scientist Paper Award

The IVI in the Fight Against Epizootic Diseases

Vetsuisse remains a leader

Rearing conditions influence the immune system of brown trout

11 new doctorates

The SPREAD 13 | 26

The human brain in digital transformation

Domestic cats may hold the key to understanding breast cancer

Toxin-receptor interaction decoded

For faster differentiation between BVDV and BDV antibodies

COLOSS Poster Prize for Michael Muturi

Online-self-assessment veterinary medicine

Orientation & Welcome for New International Master’s and PhD students

CAS One Health

Vetsuisse Faculty

Department of Clinical ‌Veterinary Science

Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP)

Department of Clinical Research and ‌Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)

Faculty-wide structures

Strategic centers

Core Facilities

News

2026-02

9 new doctorates

Awards for the next generation at the Swine Clinic

First Prize for Pia Cigler

Award for Paula Billmann

Biosafety zones at the Vetsuisse Faculty

VPHI: One Year After the Restructuring

IPA: Steady and successful growth across all core areas

Luís Pedro Gomes do Carmo is the president of SVEPM

2026-01

Sven Rottenberg elected to the Academia Europaea

op Academic Performance in Animal Nutrition

58 Master's degree graduates

2025 Alumni Master’s Award goes to Brühlhart, Gmür, and Küng

Young Scientist Paper Award

The IVI in the Fight Against Epizootic Diseases

Vetsuisse remains a leader

Rearing conditions influence the immune system of brown trout

11 new doctorates

The SPREAD 13 | 26

The human brain in digital transformation

Domestic cats may hold the key to understanding breast cancer

Toxin-receptor interaction decoded

For faster differentiation between BVDV and BDV antibodies

COLOSS Poster Prize for Michael Muturi

Online-self-assessment veterinary medicine

Orientation & Welcome for New International Master’s and PhD students

CAS One Health