About PIGS
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Group of Switzerland (PIGS) was founded in 2001 succeeding the previous Pediatric AIDS Group of Switzerland (PAGS).
The Purpose Of PIGS
The purpose was to broaden the horizon by demonstrating our expertise beyond the field of HIV and AIDS in the pediatric age group. As PIGS we represent the whole field of pediatric infectious diseases while maintaining the existing personal contacts and successful cooperations which had been practiced among the former PAGS members.
PIGS members are pediatric infectious disease specialists, pediatricians in training for the subspecialty title in pediatric infectious diseases, and pediatric hospital staff with an interest in pediatric infectious diseases in Switzerland. They therefore primarily practice and/or originate from Switzerland. PIGS counts around 65 members.
PIGS considers itself as a link between “Pädiatrie Schweiz” (Pediatrics Switzerland, formerly Swiss Society of Pediatrics, SGP) and the Swiss Society of Infectious Diseases (SSI). The Executive Committee of PIGS has one representative on the Pädiatrie Schweiz pool of delegates and one representative on the SSI board.
The Executive Committee can install committees and delegate specific tasks. The composition of these committees is proposed to the members who then vote on the proposed individuals.
Our Goals
- To establish standards of care for the management of infectious diseases in the pediatric age group in Switzerland and to support their dissemination by means of publication of guidelines and organizing training courses for pediatricians in training (FMH Infectious Diseases) or with a specific interest in infectious diseases.
- To initiate and perform national multi-center studies in the area of pediatric infectious diseases in Switzerland and also participate in such studies internationally.
- To support research activities by young PIGS members by means of small research grants and/or travel grants to scientific meetings. In order to organize these activities, a Grants Committee has been established in 2018 (Grants).
Activities
PIGS holds two (or more, if deemed appropriate) annual meetings. Until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, those meetings were exclusively held in person, usually in Bern. Ever since, meetings have also taken place virtually (online) or in a hybrid format (in person and online), as decided by the Executive Committee deemed appropriate by the given circumstances.
The annual members meetings serve as a forum for:
- informing the members about ongoing activities of the Executive Committee,
- the exchange of ideas,
- initiation, discussion and development of projects of common interest, in particular formulating expert opinions, standards of care, clinical guidelines and multi-center study protocols,
- progress reports by PIGS members, who coordinate or participate in on-going national and international studies or working groups.
Executive Committee
President
Prof. Dr. med. Ulrich Heininger
2021 – 2025
University of Basel Children’s Hospital
FMH Title: Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases
Position: Senior Consultant and Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology
Institution: University of Basel Children’s Hospital (UKBB)
Department: Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology
Address: Spitalstrasse 33, Postfach, 4031 Basel
Interests or key words: Vaccines, Pertussis, Varicella
Secretary
Dr. med. Andrea Duppenthaler
2022 – 2026
University Children’s Hospital Bern
FMH Title: Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases
Position: Senior Consultant Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Institution: University Children’s Hospital Bern, University of Bern
Department: Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Address: Freiburgstrasse, 3010 Bern
Interests or key words: Respiratory Viruses, RSV epidemiology, tick-borne infections, periodic fever
Treasurer
PD Dr. med. Noémie Wagner
2021 – 2025
University Hospitals of Geneva
FMH Title(s): Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases
Position: Consultant Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Institution: University Hospitals of Geneva
Department: Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Address: 6, rue Willy-Donze, 1211 Genève 14
Interests or key words: Tropical diseases (Chagas, Malaria …), HIV, osteoarticular infections
Board member
PD Dr. med. Patrick Meyer Sauteur
2022 – 2026
University Children’s Hospital Zurich
FMH Title(s): Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases
Position: Consultant Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Institution: University Children’s Hospital Zurich
Department: Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology
Address: Steinwiesstrasse 75, 8032 Zürich
Interests or key words: Respiratory tract infections, Pneumonia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Lyme disease, Syphilis