Endowed Professorship at Swiss TPH: Eckenstein-Geigy Professorship for Household Economics and Health Systems Research

The Basel-based Eckenstein-Geigy Foundation supports basic research aiming at improving global health and reducing inequalities between countries. The Foundation has provided CHF 14 million to Swiss TPH from 2016 through 2026 to set up a Professorship for Household Economics and Health Systems Research.

Professor Günther Fink, who chairs the Professorship, explains that through this endowment, a research group with 40 collaborators could be formed. “Thanks to this professorship, we are able to evaluate interventions in the area of health economics and build up international cohorts, which allow us to gain a better understanding of the interplay of economics and health.”

The Household Economics and Health Systems Research unit aims to study the interactions between individuals and the larger health system environment, with a particular focus on human behavior. An example of this is the analysis of the long-term benefit of mosquito nets in Tanzania. “Our 22 year study showed that bed nets save lives in the long run. Children who sleep under them at an early age are more likely to survive into adulthood,” said Günther Fink. The study was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

The unit is currently setting up multi-generational cohorts in Côte d'Ivoire, Lao PD and Peru. These cohorts cover family "dynasties" and include newborns, their parents, grand-parents and great-grand parents. The researchers plan to follow up on these populations over many years and thus study the inter-generational transmission of health and well-being. This will lead to a better understanding of the impact health systems and the environment have on the well-being of different generations over time.