The MCID is a multidisciplinary strategic center at the University of Bern dedicated to the study and mitigation of healthcare, societal, ethical, and economic risks from infectious diseases. The MCID brings together high impact academic researchers with the aim of determining the origins of infectious disease risks, preparing for and managing these risks.
The launch of the MCID has been made possible through a generous donation by the Vinetum Foundation.
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27 November 2026
09:30 − 17:00
UniS, Schanzeneckstrasse 1
MCID Annual Event 2026
Join colleagues from across the University of Bern for a day of exciting research, interdisciplinary exchange and networking. Registration is open until Thursday 12th November, abstract deadline by 20th October.
10 November 2026
14:00 − 15:00
online
VPHI Webinar: Dr Elsa Léger
13 November 2026
08:30 − 16:30
Workshop
16 November 2026
08:30 − 17:00
Room 104, Main Building, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012 Bern
Organised by PD Dr. Caroline Schlaufer (EPL / KPM) and the Franxini Project, Reatch
MCID Postcards
This time we take you to Hasselt, Belgium, where MCID members attended the Pandemic Intelligence Conference. The conference explored how data, research and policy can be brought together to improve pandemic intelligence, strengthen preparedness and ensure timely, evidence-based decision-making for future outbreaks.
MCID-funded Research
The MCID wishes to congratulate Mert on successfully defending his PhD “Divided pandemic society: how the polarization of opinions affects health outcomes in the context of pandemics and pandemic preparedness”.
The MCID wishes to congratulate Melanie on successfully defending her PhD “Interplay between the Malaria Parasite and the Gut Microbiota”.
The SPREAD
In the latest issue of The SPREAD, we explore topics ranging from using blood donations to detect infectious disease outbreaks to investigating leishmaniasis in Switzerland and Guinea, and exploring new therapeutic opportunities for Chagas disease. In "Coffee with the MCID", meet Ioannis Magouras and his team and discover how veterinary medicine, climate science and data are coming together to understand disease in the real world.
MCID: Hot off the Press
MCID-funded PhD students Simone Leoni and Isabel Schultz-Pernice identified bemnifosbuvir and remdesivir as promising antiviral candidates against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Their preclinical findings represent an important step towards the first antiviral treatment for this potentially serious disease.
How does political and affective polarisation influence COVID-19 health behaviours and outcomes, and what role does political beliefs play in shaping trust in authorities, vaccination uptake, and mask-wearing? This newly published research elaborates on this question.
We'd like to highlight a recently published article from the EPL describing work done within the context of a MCID-funded project. This paper published in Policy Studies Journal looked at the political role that scientists played during the COVID-19 pandemic and how their narratives, strategies, and media engagement can shape evidence-based policymaking.
The ‘Bern, get ready’ (BEready) study aims to establish a prospective ‘pandemic preparedness cohort’ in canton Bern. In preparation for the main data collection, the BEready team have published a pilot study where they evaluate remote data collection methods and sample collection without face-to-face contact, the feasibility of follow up, and the continuity of participation engagement. Findings from this pilot have facilitated refinements to the study design and procedures for the ongoing main cohort study, which aims to recruit 1,500+ households.
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