Honorary Doctorate for Dr Micaela Serafini

On the occasion of USI's 30th Dies Academicus, an Honorary Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences was awarded to Micaela Serafini, Global & Public Health Expert and President of MSF Switzerland, with the following citation: "for her contribution as a physician on the front lines of numerous humanitarian crises and as the current leading figure of Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland. This honour is symbolically shared with all healthcare workers who, every day, brave the dangerous paths of health emergencies with selfless dedication."

Laudatio for Micaela Serafini
Professor Giovanni Pedrazzini
Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences

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The awarding of an honorary degree is always a significant moment for a university and for the faculty entrusted with the duty and honour of nominating the candidate. This year, that role has been assigned to the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences. In the past, we have conferred Honorary Doctorates upon Professor Lino Guzzella, then President of ETH Zurich—one of the key figures, alongside Professor Martinoli, in the creation of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences—and subsequently upon Professor Roxana Mehran, a world-renowned cardiologist and, above all, a global ambassador for gender equality.

This year, our faculty did not hesitate. In the difficult times we are currently experiencing, when the world's many wounds have begun to bleed once more, we wish to honour a prominent figure in humanitarian medicine. In doing so, we also recognise the vast ranks of doctors and paramedics from numerous international organisations who, every day and in every corner of the globe, operate on the vulnerable front lines of humanitarian crises. And heaven knows how many there are today! This tradition of medicine—born from the initiative of Swiss visionary Henry Dunant following the 1859 Battle of Solferino—has since become one of the most luminous symbols of our humanitarian tradition and culture.

Following her training in internal medicine in Argentina, Dr Micaela Serafini spent years active as a physician on multiple humanitarian fronts, including Uganda, Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Angola, Iraq, and Guatemala. She later took on the medical directorship of MSF Switzerland and managed the Health Department within the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 2024, she was appointed President of Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland, which employs more than 7,000 staff in our country alone. It is worth noting that MSF, founded in 1971 by Bernard Kouchner, is today the world's largest humanitarian medical organisation, with nearly 70,000 staff—including doctors and paramedics—working in more than 66 countries, including the most volatile regions of recent months, such as Gaza and Iran.

With her vast experience and widely recognised leadership, Dr Serafini is for us the face and voice of a medical practice committed daily to saving lives, promoting human dignity and solidarity, and addressing the widening inequalities between peoples.

This is a recognition we would like to symbolically dedicate to all the doctors and paramedics who, with courage, dedication, and immense expertise, are not afraid to put themselves on the line for that greatest and often forgotten good: the welfare of others.

The USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences is therefore honoured to confer an Honorary Doctorate today upon Micaela Serafini for—and I shall read the citation from the diploma— "her contribution as a physician on the front lines of numerous humanitarian crises and as the current leading figure of Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland. This honour is symbolically shared with all healthcare workers who, every day, brave the dangerous paths of health emergencies with selfless dedication."

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Dr Micaela Serafini, recently elected President of MSF Switzerland, possesses over 20 years of experience in global health and humanitarian response. Her career is distinguished by leadership roles within Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). She served as Medical Director of MSF Switzerland until 2020 and, from 2021, led the ICRC Health Unit, overseeing healthcare services for populations affected by war and violence in over 80 countries.

A specialist in internal medicine trained in Argentina, Dr Serafini dedicated more than a decade to fieldwork across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Her expertise spans emergency management, outbreak control, and the strengthening of health systems, always with a steadfast focus on urgent medical needs and the adaptation of policies to complex humanitarian contexts.

She is fluent in Spanish, English, and French, navigating with ease the linguistic and cultural complexities inherent in global health work. In her new role as President of MSF Switzerland, she remains committed to shaping the organisation's healthcare agenda and advancing the evolution of its medical humanitarian action. "Our medical missions are at the heart of MSF's identity, and I am honoured to contribute to their future."