Swiss Gender Medicine Symposium

• On October 20 and 21, the Swiss Gender Medicine Symposium will take place for the first time in the Kursaal Bern.

• International experts from the fields of medicine, science, politics and healthcare will discuss the latest findings and developments in the consideration of gender-specific differences in medical research and practice.

• The event creates an interdisciplinary platform for exchange, knowledge transfer and collaboration.

• The symposium is organized by the Swiss Initiative funding agency, two national foundations, the pharmaceutical company Roche and five Swiss university hospitals.

The first Swiss Gender Medicine Symposium will take place in Bern on October 20 and 21, 2025. This international event will bring together decision-makers from science, politics and the healthcare sector with the aim of making gender-specific differences in diagnosis, therapy and research more visible. The latest findings, innovative approaches and pioneering projects will be presented at the symposium.

Current studies show that both biological and gender-related social attributions have so far been insufficiently taken into account in medical research and care. This has a direct impact on diagnoses, treatment success and patient safety. This is where gender medicine comes in: It creates the scientific basis for differentiated, fairer and more effective healthcare. The aim is to further develop diagnostic procedures and therapies in such a way that gender-specific differences are recorded and systematically taken into account, thus enabling treatments tailored to the individual in the sense of precision medicine. The two-day symposium promotes an in-depth awareness of the existing challenges in research and practice and creates space for the discussion of innovative research approaches.

As an international platform, the Swiss Gender Medicine Symposium brings together leading figures from science, politics, education and healthcare from Switzerland and abroad. The international speakers include:

• Prof. Londa Schiebinger (Stanford University), pioneer of gender research in the natural sciences
• Prof. Louise Pilote (McGill University), specialist in gender-specific cardiovascular diseases
• Prof. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek (Charité Berlin), one of the pioneers of gender medicine in Europe

Switzerland is also represented by top-class speakers, including

• Prof. Carole Clair (Unisanté Lausanne), President of the Steering Committee of the national research program “Gender Medicine and Health”
• Dr. Guido Beldi (University Hospital Bern), who as an abdominal surgeon is involved in gender medicine training
• Ruth Metzler-Arnold, former Federal Councillor and President of Swiss Olympic.

The topics range from mental health and prevention, artificial intelligence and big data to the regulatory framework and the question of how gender medicine findings can be integrated into care and training.

With the National Research Program NRP 83 “Gender Medicine and Health”, the Federal Council is specifically promoting research with the aim of laying the foundations for a more equitable and sustainable healthcare system. The aim is to close the “gender gap”, i.e. the difference in the quality of treatment in the healthcare system, which can affect both women and men. The Swiss Gender Medicine Symposium picks up here by showing how these research findings have an impact in practice - be it for care in hospitals and surgeries, in medical training or in the political development of the healthcare system. With keynotes, panels and concrete application examples from research and care, the symposium creates connections that are politically and practically relevant. Switzerland is thus underlining its commitment to evidence-based, gender-sensitive healthcare that serves as an international role model.

The private funding agency Initiative Schweiz has supported the establishment of a national network and the launch of the Swiss Gender Medicine Symposium.

"The Swiss Gender Medicine Symposium is an important platform for networking scientific findings and transferring them into practice. Gender medicine is an innovative example of how research can close structural gaps and bring about concrete improvements for society. Such developments not only strengthen medical care, but also the future viability and innovative strength of Switzerland," says Stefan Linder, Head of Initiative Switzerland and co-founder of the Swiss Economic Forum.

This symposium is being organized under the patronage of Initiative Switzerland, two national foundations and Roche, and with the support of all five university hospitals in Switzerland.

The symposium is aimed at medical professionals, researchers and decision-makers from business, politics and industry who want to get involved in differentiated, gender-sensitive medicine. Registration is possible via the website: