Eliane Rohner and Gilles Wandeler will start work on the Ruedi Lüthy Foundation Board of Trustees immediately. Before joining the board, both worked with the foundation in a research capacity. “Recruiting these two medical practitioners for the board of trustees is a great success. With their wealth of knowledge on infectious diseases and research, they’ll be able to lend major impetus to the further development of our work,” explains Chairman of the Board of Trustees Hans Lutz. “Their expertise in HIV-associated cancers such as cervical cancer is of particular importance for the foundation.”
Eliane Rohner:
PD Dr. med. Eliane Rohner, MD, has master’s degrees in epidemiology and statistics. The medical practitioner and researcher works at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern, where she is head of cancer research. She specialises in research on HIV-associated cervical cancer. Among other things, Eliane Rohner is leading a large-scale study on HIV-positive women with precancerous cervical lesions. For this research she is working closely with Newlands Clinic, and recently visited us in Harare. “I’m very impressed by the commitment, professionalism and warmth of the entire team at Newlands Clinic and the Ruedi Lüthy Foundation. I look forward to being able to make a small contribution to this valuable work as a member of the Board of Trustees," says Eliane Rohner on the occasion of her election.
Gilles Wandeler:
Professor Gilles Wandeler, MD, has a master’s degree in public health and is a senior physician at the University Clinic for Infectious Diseases at the Inselspital hospital in Bern. He is also a senior research fellow at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern, where he conducts research as part of various studies on HIV and hepatitis, both in Switzerland and in southern and western Africa. He brings a great deal of experience in the treatment of infectious diseases and cancers as well as in clinical and epidemiological research worldwide. “Newlands Clinic is a unique structure in sub-Saharan Africa as it ensures specific, patient-centred and holistic HIV care. It manages to bring together clinical skills and compassion while also striving for scientific excellence. I’m delighted for the opportunity to contribute to the work of the Ruedi Lüthy Foundation.”
Gilles Wandeler and Eliane Rohner both lead research projects within the International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS, a large international collaboration of HIV cohorts. For some time Newlands Clinic has been providing valuable patient data for this collaborative research, whose goal is to answer important questions about the treatment of HIV/AIDS to be able to better help those affected.
The Ruedi Lüthy Foundation warmly welcomes Eliane Rohner and Gilles Wandeler. We look forward to working with them.
©Picture University of Bern