Dr. phil. Patricia Schwärzler

Work at ZHAW

Position

Lecturer

Focus

qualitative social science research (epistemology, methodology and analysis); Anthropology of Health, Cultural Epidemiology; Global Health, Public Health, urban health, rural health, development cooperation; Transculturality, Transssectionality, Diversity, Gender; Sexual and reproductive health and rights, youth sexuality, HIV/AIDS, Mother-, newborn and child health (MCH); Interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity (GRIPP Getting research into Policy and Practice), interprofessionality; geografiic focus: Africa (specially central and western Africa)

Teaching

Lecturer for health personnel at BSc and MSc levels (scientific writing, qualitative methods, diversity, transculturality, transsectionality, gender, global/public health)

Experience

• Lecturer
  ZHAW, School of Health Professions
  08 / 2024 - today
• Senior research associate and lecturer
  ZHAW, School of Health Professions
  06 / 2018 - 07 / 2024
• International expert and consultant in Cameroon and Switzerland
  Independent
  04 / 2016 - 05 / 2018
• Country representative in Cameroon
  Médecins du Monde Suisse, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
  10 / 2013 - 03 / 2016
• Research associate and programme coordinator
  Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
  10 / 2005 - 08 / 2013

Education and Continuing education

Education

• PhD / Epidemiology
  Swiss TPH (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute), associated institute of the University of Basel, Switzerland
  09 / 2003 - 07 / 2013
• M.A. / Social Anthropology (minors: Human Geography, German literature)
  University of Basel, Switzerland
  10 / 1987 - 06 / 1997

Continuing Education

• Qualified administrator Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)
  IDI, LLC, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
  10 / 2025
• CAS Higher and Professional Education
  School of Managment and Law SML, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning ZID, ZHAW Winterthur, Switzerland
  07 / 2019
• Course Results based Project Cycle Management
  Fédération neuchâteloise de coopération au développement (Latitude 21), Neuchâtel, Switzerland
  11 / 2015
• Course certificate Public Health
  Swiss School of Public Health SSPH+
  10 / 2013
• Certificate of attendance National Center for Competence in Research North-South (NCCR N-S)
  University of Bern, Switzerland
  06 / 2013
• Certificate of attendance Peer mentoring 'Between medicine and culture'
  Programme fostering young female scientists at the Universities of Zürich, Basel and St. Gallen, Switzerland
  12 / 2007
• Certificate Graduate School Gender Studies
  Center for Gender Studies, University of Basel, Switzerland
  04 / 2005

Network

Membership of networks

• MAS Medical Anthropology Switzerland
• SEG Swiss Anthropological Association
• CASB Centre for African Studies Basel, University of Basel, Switzerland
• MMS Medicus Mundi Switzerland - Health for all
• Alumni Anthropology, University of Basel, Switzerland
• Alumni NCCR North-South, University of Bern, Switzerland
• NRP83 Gender medicine and health

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1731-7816

Social media

• LinkedIn
• ResearchGate

Projects

• Gender concepts and Nutrition In childhood / Team member / ongoing
• DSembedded: Integrating discipline-specific Know How into Data Stewardship / Team member / completed
• Competences for inter-professional cooperation and appropriate teaching formats / Team member / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Kerry, M., Schwärzler, P. and Huber, M. (2025) 'Preliminary empirical validation of the framework for evaluation of interprofessional education and collaboration : a mixed-methods multi-level model', Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 40(100753). doi: 10.1016/j.xjep.2025.100753.
• Trüb, M. et al. (2024) 'Fostering factors for perspective taking in students on the Zurich clinical interprofessional training ward ZIPAS® : first results of the evaluation', International Journal of Health Professions, 11(1), pp. 99–109. doi: 10.2478/ijhp-2024-0009.
• Zysset, A., Schwärzler, P. and Dratva, J. (2023) 'Seeking health in a digital world : exploring immigrant parents' quest for child health information – a scoping review', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(19), p. 6804. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20196804.
• Paignon, A. et al. (2022) 'Interprofessional educators" competencies, assessment, and training - IPEcat : protocol of a global consensus study', Journal of Interprofessional Care, 36(5), pp. 765–769. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2021.2001445.
• Nodjiadjim Laoubaou, A. et al. (2006) 'Communication socioculturelle comme outil de prévention des maladies sexuellement transmissibles et le VIH chez les adolescents au Tchad', VertigO, 2006(3). doi: 10.4000/vertigo.1852.

Books, peer-reviewed

Schwärzler, P. (2013) 'De nos jours, chacun fait ce qu'il veut'? : dynamiques des relations sociales et pratiques sexuelles dans le contexte du VIH/sida à Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Doctoral dissertation. Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

Book chapters, peer-reviewed

• Schwärzler, P. (2010) 'Sex and the City : Erzählungen alter Männer und Frauen über jugendliche Sexualiät und AIDS in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso', in Dilger, H. and Hadolt, B. (eds) Medizin im Kontext : Krankheit und Gesundheit in einer vernetzten Welt. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, pp. 389–409.
• Sy, I. et al. (2010) 'An interdisciplinary vulnerability and resilience approach to health risks in under-privileged urban contexts in West Africa', in Hurni, H. and Wiesmann, U. (eds) Global change and sustainable development : a synthesis of regional experiences from research partnerships. Bern: Geographica Bernensia, pp. 33–46. doi: 10.7892/boris.5902.

Other publications

Huber, M. et al. (2020) Kompetenzen zur interprofessionellen Zusammenarbeit und geeignete Unterrichtsformate. Bern: Bundesamt für Gesundheit.

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

• Schwärzler Patricia. 2013. «De nos jours, chacun fait ce qu'il veut»? Dynamiques des relations sociales et pratiques sexuelles dans le contexte du VIH/sida à Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. PhD Thesis. Basel: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel. (in French)
• Schwärzler Patricia. 2010. Sex and the City: Erzählungen alter Männer und Frauen über jugendliche Sexualität und AIDS in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In H. DILGER & B. HADOLT, Hg. Medizin im Kontext. Krankheit und Gesundheit in einer vernetzten Welt. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, S. 389–409. ISBN 9783631578391. (in German)
• Sy I., Schwärzler P., Kouadio A. S., Kablan C., Granado S., Obrist B., Tanner M. & Cissé G., 2010. An interdisciplinary vulnerability and resilience approach to health risks in under-privileged urban contexts in West Africa. In: H. Hurni & U. Wiesmann, Hg., with an international Group of co-editors. Global Change and sustainable development: A Synthesis of regional experiences from research partnerships. Perspectives of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South, University of Bern, Vol. 5. Bern: Geographica Bernensia, S. 33-46.
• Nodjiadjim L. A., Wyss K., Schwärzler P., Obrist B. & Bergman M. M., 2006. Communication socioculturelle comme outil de prévention des maladies sexuellement transmissibles et le VIH chez les adolescents au Tchad. VertigO - la revue électronique en sciences de l’environnement, Hors-série 3.
• Schwärzler, Patricia. 1996. Representations of the body and concepts of well-being and illness among the Moose [Burkina Faso]. Unpublished M.A Thesis. Basel: Insitute of Social Anthropology, University of Basel. (in German)

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