Everyone should be able to live in an environment that benefits their health.
The SCDH stands out for its breadth of expertise and its extensive network. Drive counts. So does experience.
Team
We have many faces: architect, product designer, neuroscientist, industrial designer, carpenter, IT-specialist, biologist, economist or social scientist. This diverse mix of expertise makes the SCDH a unique center of excellence for design research in the health sector.
Stefan Sulzer
Management / Managing Director
Prof. Dr. Arne Scheuermann
Management / Scientific Director
Dr. Minou Afzali
Extended Management / Head of Research
Dr. Monika Codourey
Extended Management / Head of Living Lab ad interim / Healthcare Structures
Anke Garcia Barros
Extended Management / Head of People and Culture
Klaus-Martin Gareis
Extended Management / Head of Operations and ICT
Raphael Huber
Extended Management / Co-Head of Workshops
Holger Litzenburger
Extended Management / Head of Business and Finance
Jérôme Rütsche
Extended Management / Co-Head of Workshops
Yvonne Uhlig
Extended Management / Head of Communication and Marketing
Manuel Balzarek
Workshops / Open Space Area
Caroline Bücheler
Communication and Marketing
Viviane Burkhalter
Management Assistant
Michael Conrad
Living Lab / Data Science and Machine Learning
Patrizia Egloff
People and Culture / Hospitality
Rahel Inauen
Research
Michaela Koch
Assistant Extended Management
Ramon Lehmann
Communication and Marketing
Dominic Müller
ICT / Support
Emma Nadol
Research / Service Design
Philipp Reinmann
Senior Business Development Manager
Barbara Schwärzler
Workshops / Materials collection
Florence Steiner
Research
Lena Sunier
Finances and Business / Business Development
Magdalena Tomoff
Living Lab / Colour Design
Anja Walker
Communication and Marketing
David Wollschlegel
Living Lab / Interaction Design
Roger Zimmermann
Workshops / Metal workshop
Meri Zirkelbach
Workshops / Materials collection
01/29
Stefan Sulzer
Management / Managing Director
Stefan’s goal is to establish the SCDH as a leading organisation at the interface of design and health. As he sees it, the Centre’s success depends primarily on the individual staff members. With his art background and experience teaching at various universities and academies, he is happy to embrace the unknown and unexpected.
+41 58 414 40 07
stefan.sulzer@scdh.ch02/29
Prof. Dr. Arne Scheuermann
Management / Scientific Director
Arne did his undergraduate work in communications design, earned his doctorate in design research and is now part of the team leading the Institute of Design Research at the Bern Academy of the Arts, where he also teaches as Professor for Design Theory. Arne helped to establish the Center as overall project lead at SCDH. As a member of the board of directors, he serves as key liaison between the SCDH and the universities.
+41 58 414 40 02
arne.scheuermann@scdh.ch03/29
Dr. Minou Afzali
Extended Management / Head of Research
Minou is a university-trained product designer who holds a doctoral degree from the Institute for Social Anthropology of the University of Bern and researches and teaches at the Bern Academy of the Arts as a professor for social design in the field of design and health. Her passion for interdisciplinary design research in the health sector also guides her work at the SCDH and as a member of its scientific board.
+41 58 414 40 01
minou.afzali@scdh.ch04/29
Dr. Monika Codourey
Extended Management / Head of Living Lab ad interim / Healthcare Structures
Monika combines architecture with information science. She brings the various actors and requirements associated with health-sector buildings together at the SCDH, and taking that as her starting point and drawing on her many years of international professional experience, she develops new services and projects.
+41 58 414 40 24
monika.codourey@scdh.ch05/29
Anke Garcia Barros
Extended Management / Head of People and Culture
Anke fell in love with Switzerland after training as a “restaurant specialist” in the Black Forest. Always on the look-out for professional development opportunities and new experiences, she found her vocation in HR. She attaches great importance to the customized organisational development and culture of mutual respect and appreciation at the SCDH.
+41 58 414 40 10
anke.garciabarros@scdh.ch06/29
Klaus-Martin Gareis
Extended Management / Head of Operations and ICT
Klaus-Martin is an economist. Through the operations unit, he ensures that corporate processes at the SCDH run smoothly. He also establishes and takes responsibility for project, quality and compliance management. He is currently developing an innovative ICT environment.
+41 58 414 40 16
klaus-martin.gareis@scdh.ch07/29
Raphael Huber
Extended Management / Co-Head of Workshops
As a qualified cabinet maker, Raphael is passionate about artisanry. He has a great deal of experience in planning, production, assembly and installation. For him, equipping and further developing the SCDH’s workshops and realising the physical aspects of the projects is a dream come true.
+41 58 414 40 05
raphael.huber@scdh.ch08/29
Holger Litzenburger
Extended Management / Head of Business and Finance
As a business manager with an MBA from the University of Stuttgart, Holger coordinates financial activities at the SCDH and ensures that the Centre will stay on the right track as it moves forward as an enterprise, with market analyses and the business plan.
+41 58 414 40 04
holger.litzenburger@scdh.ch09/29
Jérôme Rütsche
Extended Management / Co-Head of Workshops
Jérôme, is a product designer who trained in the design of physical products at École cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ECAL). His experience with his own companies enables him to turn the skills and capabilities of the SCDH’s workshops to best advantage for job orders and for research and innovation projects.
+41 58 414 40 15
jerome.ruetsche@scdh.ch10/29
Yvonne Uhlig
Extended Management / Head of Communication and Marketing
Yvonne is a biologist, a graduate of the Zurich University of the Arts and a communications specialist. With her experience in corporate communications at universities, research institutes and NGOs, she ensures that the SCDH projects a clear identity, styled just right.
+41 58 414 40 11
yvonne.uhlig@scdh.ch11/29
Manuel Balzarek
Workshops / Open Space Area
A production mechanic, Manuel specialises in modelmaking and 3D manufacturing technologies. Having been active for many years in the international production of art, he brings a broad expertise on machines and production to the SCDH workshops.
+41 58 414 40 26
manuel.balzarek@scdh.ch12/29
Caroline Bücheler
Communication and Marketing
Trained as a marketing director, Caroline has extensive expertise in corporate design and marketing and corporate communications. Along with her many years of professional experience, she has a profound passion for architecture and art, which she can now integrate into her work.
+41 58 414 40 30
caroline.buecheler@scdh.ch13/29
Viviane Burkhalter
Management Assistant
A medical historian, Viviane began to accord great importance to medical issues in their social context when she was studying at the University of Bern and at the Sorbonne in Paris. With her many years of national and international experience in assistant roles and project management, she supports the executive management of the SCDH.
+41 58 414 40 08
viviane.burkhalter@scdh.ch14/29
Michael Conrad
Living Lab / Data Science and Machine Learning
Michael is a data scientist. At the SCDH, he is responsible for the visionary further development of the Living Lab’s digital capabilities – including motion capture and sensor technology capabilities.
+41 58 414 40 20
michael.conrad@scdh.ch15/29
Patrizia Egloff
People and Culture / Hospitality
Patrizia is always the first one to arrive at the SCDH in the morning. She keeps spirits up and clutter down throughout the Center – were it not for her, the SCDH would be inundated in dust and mountains of dishes.
16/29
Rahel Inauen
Research
Rahel is a product designer with a master’s degree in design from the Bern Academy of the Arts. She keeps the processes of participative design and transdisciplinary research projects at the SCDH moving forward. She values the opportunities this provides for direct exchange with a wide variety of people.
+41 58 414 40 12
rahel.inauen@scdh.ch17/29
Michaela Koch
Assistant Extended Management
Michaela has a talent for organizing and a family and professional background in the restaurant and hotel industries. She brings her abundant energy and advanced training in event marketing to bear to support the entire SCDH.
+41 58 414 40 19
michaela.koch@scdh.ch18/29
Ramon Lehmann
Communication and Marketing
When Ramon is not out on the road as a freelance photographer, he supports the team with his professional eye in connection with all things photographic and with the archiving and management of all the media produced in and around the SCDH. Thanks to him, a clear picture of the SCDH’s activities is conveyed to the public.
19/29
Dominic Müller
ICT / Support
Dominic, an information scientist, is the SCDH’s “go-to” person for ICT issues. With his experience in the Microsoft environment, cyber-security and with school and corporate digitalisation, he ensures the smooth and secure operation of the advanced tech at the SCDH.
+41 58 414 40 21
dominic.müller@scdh.ch20/29
Emma Nadol
Research / Service Design
Emma uses her insight into sustainability, system integration and inclusive design at the SCDH to shape the healthcare services of the near future – true to the motto “Design is where science and art break even”.
+41 58 414 40 25
emma.nadol@scdh.ch21/29
Philipp Reinmann
Senior Business Development Manager
With an MBA in innovation management and a passion for human-centred design processes, Philipp supports the client-specific development of innovative solutions, a task in which his experience in the field of learning and development and his ability to work in a multicultural and multilingual setting serve him well.
+41 79 472 88 07
philipp.reinmann@scdh.ch22/29
Barbara Schwärzler
Workshops / Materials collection
Barbara is a colour designer and has developed numerous concepts for buildings in the health sector. She advocates good design in healthcare buildings that creates an optimal atmosphere. She brings her many years of experience with materials and colours and her network in the sector to bear on the development of the SCDH’s materials collection.
+41 58 414 40 29
barbara.schwaerzler@scdh.ch23/29
Florence Steiner
Research
Florence is a neuroscientist and a psychologist. As a researcher, it is important to her that science not only produces but also communicates knowledge, thus connecting research with society and industry. At the SCDH, she is responsible for developing and carrying out research projects as well as for the submission of proposals.
24/29
Lena Sunier
Finances and Business / Business Development
As a design engineer, Lena seeks to understand the problems posed and find creative solutions. She brings many years of experience in customer support to the Centre, where her focus is on pushing ahead with the SCDH’s corporate development.
+41 58 414 40 09
lena.sunier@scdh.ch25/29
Magdalena Tomoff
Living Lab / Colour Design
Magdalena holds a bachelor’s degree in colour design from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim and a master’s degree in design from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Her knowledge about material qualities, light and the underlying principles contributes to the optimal use of colours in spaces in the health sector, both in connection with services provided by the SCDH and through its research projects.
+41 58 414 40 27
magdalena.tomoff@scdh.ch26/29
Anja Walker
Communication and Marketing
After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and law and a master’s degree in public finance and economics, Anja found her way to the field of communications. Since then, she has been writing, informing and communicating over all channels – with passion, cogency, and a sense for politics. She acquired the requisite theoretical knowledge about communications in two courses of advance studies at the MAZ in Lucerne and her practical knowhow at an agency.
+41 58 414 40 13
anja.walker@scdh.ch27/29
David Wollschlegel
Living Lab / Interaction Design
David is an interaction designer and a qualified application developer. He is interested in projects that involve thinking outside the box of the monitor screen. He develops and operates the technical infrastructure at SCDH.
+41 58 414 40 17
david.wollschlegel@scdh.ch28/29
Roger Zimmermann
Workshops / Metal workshop
Roger is a design technician and product designer. He doubled down on his fervent commitment to the credo “Design has to be functional” at the Basel Academy of Art and Design. He makes extensive use of a mix of innovation and design for job orders and research projects at the SCDH.
+41 58 414 40 22
roger.zimmermann@scdh.ch29/29
Meri Zirkelbach
Workshops / Materials collection
Meri is a design, conservator/restorer and a doctoral student in the materials research and development programme at the Institute for Material Design and Advanced Material Studies of the University of Art and Design in Offenbach and at Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) in Dübendorf. She promotes participative design processes in her own business and as a research associate at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. At the SCDH, she is drawing on her experience and expertise to help build up the materials collection.
+41 58 414 40 28
meri.zirkelbach@scdh.chOrganisation
The private sector, the scientific community and society are all part of the SCDH. They are actively integrated into the organisation through the shareholder base, the board of directors, the scientific and international advisory boards and through our partnerships. This structure ensures that all our projects are of relevance to society and of high quality, while also guaranteeing the optimal transfer of knowledge and technology.
The Board of Directors supports the SCDH both regarding the content of its work and in strategic matters. Its members are representatives of the shareholders, the Canton of Bern and the spheres of business, research and politics.
Dr. Paula Adomeit
Insel Gruppe AG / Department of Nursing / Director
Prof. Dr. phil., Dipl-Pol. Annika Frahsa
University of Bern / Faculty of Medicine / Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) / Head of Research Group
Adèle Thorens Goumaz
HEIG-VD (School of Engineering and Management) / Professor, Board Member
Dr. Kate Molesworth
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute / Health and Social Development Adviser
André Nietlisbach
Canton of Bern / Department of Economic Affairs, Energy and the Environment / Secretary General
Danielle Quaile
Girsberger Holding AG / CEO
Prof. Dr. Arne Scheuermann
Bern University of Applied Sciences / Academy of the Arts / Institute of Design Research / Head
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Wörwag (Chair)
Bern University of Applied Sciences / President
The Scientific Board guarantees the interdisciplinary scientific basis of the SCDH and its continuing innovation. The Scientific Board advises the SCDH on ongoing projects and jobs and on the development of its portfolio of products and services as well as on the choice of exploitation strategies in the area of knowledge and technology transfer. It is made up of faculty members from the University of Bern and the Bern University of Applied Sciences.
Dr. Minou Afzali
Extended Management / Head of Research
Prof. Dr. med. Guido Beldi
Inselspital, Hôpital universitaire de Berne / Bauchzentrum Bern / Clinique universitaire de chirurgie et médecine viscérales / Médecin-chef Chirurgie viscérale
Prof. Dr. med. Aristomenis Exadaktylos
Inselspital, Bern University Hospital / Emergency Department / Director and Chief Physician
Prof. William Fuhrer
Bern University of Applied Sciences / School of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering / Head of competence area Dencity / Professor of Urban Development and Mobility
Prof. Dr. Sabine Hahn
Bern University of Applied Sciences / School of Health Professions / Head of School of Nursing / Head of Applied Research and Development in Nursing
Prof. Dr. Deane Harder
Bern University of Applied Sciences / Business School / Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship / Lecturer
Prof. Michael Lehmann
Bern University of Applied Sciences / School of Engineering and Computer Science / Medical Informatics / Professor of Medical Informatics
Dr. Julia Rehsmann
Bern University of Applied Sciences / School of Health Professions / Institute of Social Anthropology / Research associate
Prof. Dr. Sang-Il Kim
Bern University of Applied Sciences / School of Engineering and Computer Science / Institute for Medical Informatics (I4MI) / Co-Head
Prof. Dr. Arne Scheuermann
Bern University of Applied Sciences / Academy of the Arts / Institute of Design Research / Head
Prof. Dr. MPH David Schwappbach
University of Bern / Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine / Professor of Patient Safety
Prof. Dr. Boris Szélpal
Bern University of Applied Sciences / School of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering / Professor of Architecture and Planning
Prof. Dr. Kim Oliver Tokarski
Bern University of Applied Sciences / Continuing Education Division / Head
Prof. Dr. Klazine van der Horst
Bern University of Applied Sciences / School of Health Professions / Director
Professors of design, architecture, health and political science from all around the world form the International Advisory Board. At the International Advisory Board symposiums, held twice each year, the direction and positioning of the SCDH’s work is further developed, the international relevance of its research projects is evaluated and exchange among experts strengthens international connections.
Prof. Jorge Frascara
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada / Professor Emeritus
Prof. Dr. Anjali Joseph
Clemson University, South Carolina, United States / Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System / Endowed Chair in Architecture & Health Design / Professor of Industrial Engineering / Professor of Architecture
Prof. Dr. Evelyne de Leeuw
Université de Montreal, Quebec, Canada / Canada Excellence Research Chair in One Urban Health / Professor of Public Health
Prof. Dr. Debajyoti Pati
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, United States / Department of Design / Interior Design / Professor / Rockwell Endowment Chair
Prof. Dr. Ruth West
University of North Texas, Denton, United States / xREZ Art + Science Lab / Director / Professor
Prof. Dr. Helle Wijk
Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden / Sahlgrenska Academy / Health and Care Sciences / Professor
Chalmers University of Technology / Gothenburg, Sweden / Visiting Professor
Prof. Dr. Thomas Zeltner
University of Bern / Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine / Professor of Public Health, SWISS RED CROSS / Director
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