On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, the SCTO General Meeting of Members elected the SCTO organs for the 2025–2028 period, including a new President and a Steering Board member. During the General Assembly, a review of the SCTO’s 2024 activities, a look ahead to the new funding period, and updates from key stakeholders have been presented.

After seven years of dedicated leadership by Prof. Dr. med. Christiane Pauli-Magnus , Co-Director of the Department of Clinical Research at University Hospital Basel, the General Meeting of Members has elected Prof. Dr. med. Alessandro Ceschi, M.Sc. , Chief of Medical Education and Research at General Directorate of the Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC) in Lugano, as the new President of the SCTO.

About Prof. Ceschi
Prof. Dr. med. Alessandro Ceschi, M.Sc. is a board certified clinical pharmacologist and toxicologist, and general internal medicine specialist physician. He currently serves as Chief of Medical Education and Research of the General Directorate of the EOC, which includes the Clinical Trial Unit (CTU-EOC). Additionally, he is Chief Physician of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology and Medical and Scientific Director of the Institute of Pharmacological Sciences of Southern Switzerland, both based at the EOC. He is professor at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and senior lecturer at University of Zurich and University of Basel.
Member of the SCTO Steering Board since April 2023, Prof. Ceschi will assume the role of President as of September 1, 2025. His wide-ranging responsibilities and experience reflect his strong commitment to advancing clinical research, medical education, and patient care across Switzerland and beyond.

The SCTO sincerely thanks Prof. Dr. med. Christiane Pauli-Magnus for her remarkable leadership and tireless dedication over the past seven years. Her vision has significantly shaped the SCTO and strengthened Switzerland’s position in the field of clinical research. The SCTO is pleased that Prof. Pauli-Magnus will continue to contribute her expertise as a valued member of the SCTO Steering Board.

We warmly congratulate Prof. Dr. med. Alessandro Ceschi, M.Sc., on his appointment and look forward to continued growth under his leadership.

New member of the Steering Board
In addition, the SCTO is pleased to announce that  Prof. Dr. Jörg Goldhahn , Privatdozent at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zurich and representative of the Collège des Doyens (Deans of the Medical Faculties of the Swiss Universities), has been elected to the SCTO Steering Board, succeeding Prof. Dr. Primo Schär. All the other current Steering Board members have been re-elected.

The SCTO extends its sincere gratitude to all Steering Board members for their valuable contributions and continued support.