Delegation from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute Visits the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases

On July 12, a delegation from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), including Ms. Eva Herzog, Chair of the Governors Board; Professor Jürg Utzinger, Director of Swiss TPH and recipient of the 2021 Chinese Government Friendship Award; and Mr. Mathias Kronig, Head of Administration, visited the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases (NIPD), Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). Also joining the visit were Dr. Robert Bergquist, recipient of the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award, and Dr. Hung Nguyen, along with otherprofessionals who had previously studied or worked at Swiss TPH. The meeting was hosted by Dr. Li Shizhu, Director General of NIPD and Chief Scientist in Parasitic Diseases, Dr. Zhou Xiaonong..

 

In his welcome remarks, Director Li extended a warm welcome and his sincere appreciation for the visit by the Swiss TPH leadership. He highlighted the long-standing and robust strategic partnership between NIPD and Swiss TPH, which has produced fruitful outcomes over the years. He voiced his hope that this visit would serve to further strengthen and expand collaboration between the two institutions, particularly in the areas of talent development and international research initiatives.

 

Representing NIPD, Researcher Dr. Lü Shan provided  an overview of the collaborative achievements between China and Switzerland in the field of tropical disease control. Participants at the meeting agreed that international cooperation plays a vital role in training public health professionals with a global outlook. They underscored that closer and broader collaboration between NIPD and Swiss TPH would not only strengthen the research and disease control capacities of both institutions but also contribute meaningfully to global efforts aimed atcontrolling and eliminating tropical diseases.