The Swiss Society for Public Health

What The Swiss Society for Public Health does

Public Health Schweiz (The Swiss Society for Public Health) is an independent, national professional association (Fachverband) founded in 1920 and headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. The organization operates as a membership-based professional body with 14 employees, serving individual public health professionals, healthcare organizations, and policymakers through networking, advocacy, education, and policy influence. It is the leading Swiss network for public health professionals, with automatic affiliations to the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) and the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) bundled with membership.

The association's core offerings are event-based rather than technology-based: the annual Swiss Public Health Conference (400+ attendees), the National Dementia Conference (co-organized with Alzheimer Switzerland, ~500 participants), online lunchtime seminars, webinars, a public lecture series, a mentoring program, and eight specialized working groups (Fachgruppen) covering ePublic Health, nutrition, mental health, child/adolescent health, non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, environmental health, and the Swiss Cohort/Biobank. Policy outputs include manifestos, formal Stellungnahmen (position statements on legislation), and press releases. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its infrastructure is limited to a trilingual website, MailChimp for newsletters, and Stripe/PayPal/PostFinance for payment processing.

The business model is a non-profit association structure (Verein) with two primary revenue streams: annual membership fees (ranging from CHF 50 for students to CHF 1,350 for donor members; CHF 150 for individual members) and event participation fees. The organization is governed by a Board and Expert Council, with Thomas Steffen as President (since June 2022) and Corina Wirth as Director General. Key coalitions include Alliance Gesunde Schweiz, Alliance Ernährung und Gesundheit, and the Kinder ohne Tabak initiative, which achieved >55% voter approval in February 2022.

Name

The Swiss Society for Public Health

Legal name

Public Health Schweiz

Website

https://public-health.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public Health Schweiz is an independent Swiss national professional association founded in 1920, serving public health professionals, organizations, and policymakers through membership, conferences, working groups, and policy advocacy, with embedded affiliations to EUPHA and WFPHA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Advocacy, Policy & Rights Organizations (HLAJAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN), International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

Keywords

• Public health association
• Professional membership services
• Health policy advocacy
• Professional conference services
• Continuing health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from individual, student, retiree, collective, and donor members form the core revenue stream. Individual membership is CHF 150/year, students CHF 50/year, retirees CHF 75/year, collective organizations CHF 450/year, and donor members from CHF 1,350/year.
2. Event Participation Fees: Revenue from participation fees for chargeable events including the two-day Swiss Public Health Conference, one-day conferences, half-day symposiums, and webinars. Prices are in Swiss francs and vary by event type and duration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Public Health Schweiz operates a membership-based professional association that delivers networking, continuing education, and policy advocacy services to public health professionals and organizations in Switzerland. Its core sellable offerings are annual membership subscriptions (individual, student, retiree, collective, donor tiers), the flagship Swiss Public Health Conference, the National Dementia Conference, online seminars and webinars, a mentoring program, and topic-specific Fachgruppen (specialist working groups).

Product overview

Public Health Schweiz is an independent national professional association that serves as the primary Swiss network for public health professionals. The organization operates a platform of event-based services centered around its flagship Swiss Public Health Conference (biennial) and the National Dementia Conference, supplemented by regular online seminars, webinars, and public lecture series. Additional offerings include a Mentoring Program and Specialist Groups (Fachgruppen) covering eight core health topics. The organization also produces policy positions through Manifestos, Stellungnahmen (position statements on legislation), and press releases. The overall structure is that of an association-based network offering rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Membership Subscriptions (Individual / Student / Retiree / Collective / Donor)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 55% popular vote achieved for Children Without Tobacco initiative (February 2022)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered major, flagship and core.

• GARDP (Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2023Co-organized symposium on antibiotic resistance in Switzerland and globally, held November 21, 2023 in Bern as part of World AMR Awareness Week 2023.
• CSAJ (Swiss Council for Youth Organizations)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2023Co-organized conference on mental health of adolescents and young adults, bringing together youth organizations, specialists, and policymakers to address causes and develop solutions.
• Pro Mente SanamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborated on advocacy for mental health of adolescents and young adults, jointly requesting CHF 125 million in emergency funding for mental health services.
• Die Dargebotene Hand (The Lifeline)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborated on advocacy for mental health of adolescents and young adults, providing insights on increased calls from youth during the pandemic.
• Kinder ohne Tabak (Children Without Tobacco) InitiativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2019Member of the supporting association. Successfully campaigned for the popular initiative which was accepted by Swiss voters with over 55% on February 13, 2022.
• EUPHA (European Public Health Association)coreOthersAutomatic membership affiliation included with all Public Health Schweiz memberships, providing access to European public health network, newsletters, and event discounts across Europe.
• WFPHA (World Federation of Public Health Associations)coreOthersAutomatic membership affiliation included with all Public Health Schweiz memberships, providing global public health network access and international collaboration.
• Alliance 'Gesunde Schweiz' (Healthy Switzerland Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and secretariat holder. Ursula Zybach serves as Vice President. Joint goals include positioning prevention positively and strengthening health promotion and prevention in Swiss politics.
• Alliance Ernährung und Gesundheit (Food and Health Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and secretariat holder. Promotes evidence-based advocacy for healthy and sustainable nutrition at the political level.
• Alliance Bewegung, Sport und Gesundheit (Movement, Sports and Health Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember and secretariat holder. Promotes favorable conditions for health-enhancing physical activity through political work, strategic alliances, cooperation, and targeted advocacy.
• Alzheimer SwitzerlandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organizer of the annual National Dementia Conference, bringing together research and practice for interdisciplinary exchange on dementia prevention, diagnosis, and care.
• UNICEF Switzerland and LiechtensteinmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in youth mental health initiatives and children's health advocacy, participating in joint conferences and campaigns.
• ProJuventutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in youth mental health initiatives and child welfare advocacy, collaborating on conferences and campaigns for youth well-being.
• CIAO (Swiss Youth Organization)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in mental health initiatives for young adults, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland, providing low-threshold support services.
• Swiss Cantonal Health AuthoritiescoreOthersFederal Office of Public Health (OFSP) and cantonal health departments are key stakeholders in policy advocacy and public health initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Public Health (DGPH): German national public health association analogous to Public Health Schweiz. Closest geographic and structural peer, fulfilling the same Fachverband role for German public health professionals and engaging in equivalent policy advocacy.
• European Public Health Association (EUPHA): Umbrella European public health association of which Public Health Schweiz members are automatically affiliated. Operates the same membership-based, evidence-driven advocacy model at the European level, serving as both partner and indirect peer.

Broad incumbents

• American Public Health Association (APHA): Largest U.S. public health professional association. Operates a membership-driven model with annual conferences, advocacy campaigns, and position statements, providing a scaled benchmark for the structure and scope Public Health Schweiz could evolve toward.
• Swiss Medical Association (FMH): Switzerland's national professional association for physicians. A larger, more established membership-based Fachverband in healthcare, providing a structural reference for scale, governance, and member-service design.
• World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA): Global federation of public health associations that includes Public Health Schweiz through automatic membership. Provides global reach, advocacy coordination, and represents the broader umbrella into which national associations feed.

Regional players

• Public Health Wales: National public health agency for Wales. Parallel in mission (population health, evidence-based advocacy, professional networks) but structured as a state entity; relevant as a model for what a national public health function looks like at scale.
• Santé publique France: France's national public health agency engaging in surveillance, prevention, and policy advocacy. Functions as a peer in the broader public health ecosystem across the French-speaking Swiss cantons, though structured as a state agency rather than a membership association.
• Pro Mente Sana: Swiss mental health advocacy organization that has partnered with Public Health Schweiz on youth mental health initiatives. Comparable as a Swiss advocacy-driven non-profit operating in a public health sub-domain.
• Alzheimer Switzerland: Swiss non-profit focused on dementia. Co-organizes the National Dementia Conference with Public Health Schweiz, making it a direct peer in the disease-specific advocacy and event-delivery space within Switzerland.

Others

• Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Allgemeinmedizin (SGAM): Swiss professional association for primary care physicians. Operates the same Fachverband membership-and-events model in Switzerland, serving as a comparable national professional association in an adjacent healthcare domain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-health-schweiz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Swiss Society for Public Health