Gertraud Schüpbach

Prof. Dr. Gertraud Schüpbach serves as Professor and Head of the Veterinary Public Health Institute (VPHI) at the Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health within the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland. Her leadership spans two operational sites: Schwarzenburgstrasse 161 in Liebefeld and Hallerstrasse 6 in Bern, with oversight of the Animal Welfare Department since its integration into VPHI in 2011.

Veterinary Public Health constitutes her core research domain, focusing on disease monitoring, control, and prevention systems for zoonotic pathogens, animal welfare optimization, and food safety protocols. Her work bridges clinical veterinary practice with public health policy, particularly addressing antimicrobial resistance dynamics, infectious disease epidemiology in livestock, and welfare assessment methodologies across dairy, swine, and equine populations. The institute under her direction actively develops surveillance frameworks like the veterinary antibiotic prescription system (IS ABV) and implements risk-based approaches for farm inspections.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals dominant research trajectories in applying machine learning to livestock classification and welfare assessment, economic modeling of disease impacts (e.g., paratuberculosis in dairy herds), and physiological investigations of reproductive health in free-farrowing swine systems. Key methodological innovations include sensor-based environmental monitoring in calf housing, phytotherapeutic interventions for uterine involution, and biomarker validation for sepsis diagnosis in companion animals. Her work consistently leverages Swiss national datasets to generate farm-level solutions for European agricultural contexts.

• Scientific Recognition: No specific awards documented in source materials

Prof. Schüpbach drives multiple continuing education initiatives including the CAS One Health program, annual MCID conferences, and specialized webinars on vaccine production and antimicrobial stewardship. Her operational framework integrates teaching, research support, and policy consultation with Swiss federal agencies, particularly through the Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases.

The Veterinary Public Health Institute maintains active research teams focused on antimicrobial resistance surveillance, zoonotic pathogen detection, and welfare indicator validation. Current projects include the Smart Animal Health initiative for livestock welfare assessment, PharmaVax Ghana for vaccine production capacity building, and neutering campaign evaluations for feral cat population control in Switzerland.