Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences - SAMS

At a glance

Mission and objectives

The Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) was founded in 1943 by the five Swiss medical faculties, the two veterinary medical faculties and the Swiss Medical Association (Foederatio Medicorum Helveticorum - FMH). The principle mission of this independent foundation, with its Headquarters in Basle, at that time – when Switzerland was in a state of isolation due to the Second World War – was the promotion of research and of the professional training of the coming generation of physicians.

Today, with its two main programmes, «Medicine and Society» and «Medical Science and Practice», the activity of the SAMS is concentrated on the following:

• Promotion of the professional training of the coming generation of physicians, especially in clinical research;
• Support of the high quality of the research in biomedical and clinical research;
• Acquisition of knowledge from basic research and from practical clinical research, taking into account in particular the needs of the basic providers;
• Identification of new ethical questions arising from top biomedical research and from the development of new technologies, and the drawing up of ethical guidelines and procedural instructions;
• Reflection on the future of medicine.

All these activities concern primarily the Swiss environment, but they are also strongly oriented towards international developments. These international connections are maintained through membership of various important international organisations and the participation of members of the SAMS at the most important international meetings and congresses in the fields of biomedical ethics and the future of medicine.

Organisation

The highest organ of the SAMS is the Supreme Council, which is made up of – besides honorary members, associate members and corresponding members – representatives of the Swiss medical and veterinary medical faculties, the Swiss Medical Association (FMH), the specialist medical associations and other organisations. The Supreme Council meets twice a year.

The current business is looked after by the Executive Committee. The General Secretariat is responsible for the implementation of decisions taken by the Supreme Council and the Executive Committee. The SAMS is supported by subsidies from the Swiss Federal Government under the provisions of the Federal Research Act.