I am an Adjunct Professor and Research Group Leader at the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich. I have a multidisciplinary background in environmental, economic and social history, as well as in evolutionary medicine, (historical) epidemiology, (historical) anthropometry and (historical) demography. My research focuses on population health over time, particularly the interactions between human health and environmental change in Switzerland and beyond over the past two centuries. The latest trends and monitoring of important health issues are also part of my work. By combining historical and epidemiological approaches, my research group provides critical context to contemporary health and societal challenges.
Research group, projects & news
See my group's separate webpage
Other Affiliations and Memberships
- EU COST Action "The Great Leap. Multidisciplinary approaches to health inequalities, 1800-2022" (Working Group Leader)
- IUSSP Panel "Epidemics & Contagious Diseases: The Legacy of the Past" (Panel Member)
- Crisis Competence Center, UZH (Member)
- Initiative Geisteswissenschaften, UZH (Member)
- Epidemiology & Biostatistics PhD Program UZH (Member)
- Center for Military & Disaster Medicine, Swiss Armed Forces (Member of the Scientific Board)
- Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP) (Member)
- Institute of History, University of Bern (Research Affiliate & Lecturer)
- Digital Society Initiative (DSI), University of Zurich (Member)
- Swiss School of Public Health SSPH+ (Faculty Member)
Publications
See also Google Scholar Profile
ZORA Publication List
Publications
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2024
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Journal Article
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Health of singleton neonates in Switzerland through time and crises: a cross-sectional study at the population level, 2007-2022 BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24, 218. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06414-1
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Trends of physical fitness related to weight status: An analysis including over 412,000 Swiss young male conscripts from 2007 to 2022 Preventive Medicine Reports, 38, 102591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102591
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The Need to Analyse Historical Mortality Data to Understand the Causes of Today’s Health Inequalities International Journal of Public Health, 69, 1607739. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2024.1607739
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Conference or Workshop item
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From Past Pandemics to Future Health Crises: A Systematic Design Framework for Building a Healthier Future 383–395. https://www.mdu.se/konferens-och-event/dtrs14
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Scientific Publication in Electronic Form
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Airborne transmission of respiratory viruses – Recognised in the 1940s, but then forgotten? online. https://doi.org/10.57187/oped.64
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2023
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Journal Article
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Challenges and best practices for digital unstructured data enrichment in health research: A systematic narrative review PLOS Digital Health, 2, e0000347. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000347
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Letting the Past Speak to the Present (and the Future) American Journal of Public Health, 113, 1040–1042. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307389
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Associations between 3D surface scanner derived anthropometric measurements and body composition in a cross-sectional study European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77, 972–981. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-023-01309-4
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Health of neonates born in the maternity hospital in Bern, Switzerland, 1880–1900 and 1914–1922 PLoS ONE, 18, e0289157. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289157
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From pandemic to endemic: Spatial-temporal patterns of influenza-like illness incidence in a Swiss canton, 1918-1924 Economics and Human Biology, 50, 101271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101271
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Intergenerational transmission of height in a historical population: from taller mothers to larger offspring at birth (and as adults) PNAS Nexus, 2, pgad208. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad208
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Reinfections and Cross-Protection in the 1918/19 Influenza Pandemic: Revisiting a Survey Among Male and Female Factory Workers International Journal of Public Health, 68, 1605777. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605777
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Short-termed changes in quantitative ultrasound estimated bone density among young men in an 18-weeks follow-up during their basic training for the Swiss Armed Forces PeerJ, 11, e15205. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15205
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Health and lifespan of Swiss men born in an alpine region in 1905–1907 The History of the Family, 28, 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/1081602x.2022.2100806
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Die Influenza-Pandemie 1918/19 in Bern und ihre Auswirkungen am Lehrerseminar Muristalden Berner Zeitschrift für Geschichte, 02, 37–53.
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Working Paper
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The ups and downs of birth rate in Switzerland 2020 to 2023 in a historical context (No. 23299432; MedRxiv). https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.05.23299432
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Sociodemographic and regional differences in neonatal and infant mortality in Switzerland: The Swiss National Cohort (No. 23295765; MedRxiv). https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.19.23295765
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Height loss in adulthood is associated with health outcomes in later life in men and women enrolled in the 1946 UK Birth Cohort (NSHD) (No. 23298098; MedRxiv). https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.04.23298098
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2022
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Journal Article
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Associations between hydration status, body composition, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors in the general population: a cross-sectional study BMC Public Health, 22, 900. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13280-z
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Body mass index in young men in Switzerland after the national shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a cross-sectional monitoring study at the population level since 2010 European Journal of Public Health, 32, 955–961. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckac111
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