Daniel Koch (Swiss physician)

Daniel Koch (born 13 April 1955) is a Swiss physician and federal employee. From 2008 to 2020 he was the head of the Swiss federal section "Communicable Diseases" of the Federal Office of Public Health.

Daniel Koch
Born (1955-04-13) 13 April 1955
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss
Alma materUniversity of Berne
Johns Hopkins University
Known forCOVID-19 pandemic Swiss federal spokesperson (since end 2019) and BAG/OFSP/UFSP official

Life, education, employment

Koch studied medicine at the University of Berne in the 1970s,[1] then he worked as an assistant doctor for several years. From 1988 to 2002 he worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, first as medical coordinator in crisis areas, including during the civil war in Sierra Leone, Uganda, South Africa and Peru. From 1997, he worked as a medical officer at the ICRC headquarters, where he was responsible for the medical programmes in Africa. In 1996/97, Koch complemented his education with postgraduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, which he completed with a Master in Public Health (MPH). Since 2002, he has worked for the FOPH in various departments. He was a member of the task force against the 2002/2003 SARS pandemic and H5N1 avian flu.[2] Until 2006 he was head of the "Vaccinations" section. From 2006 to 2008 he headed the "Pandemic Preparedness" section, and again until 30 April 2020 he was the head of the section.[3]

Koch gained nationwide recognition during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland through his media presence in the Swiss media as head of the FOPH's "Communicable Diseases" section. During the pandemic's first wave in spring, Koch continued to work as the FOPH's delegate and public representative for COVID-19[4] through June 2020,[5][6] despite being due to go into pension in April 2020. He was succeeded by Stefan Kuster in his post.[7]

Personal life

Koch lives in Schwarzenburg is divorced and has two adult daughters.[1] In addition to his commitment in the health sector, Koch works for animal protection,[8] and he is a passionate canicross runner.[9]

References
  1. Sven Altermatt (27 March 2020). "Daniel Koch, unser Corona-Krisenmanager beim Bund – kurz vor der Pension". tagblatt.ch. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  2. Katy Romy (26 February 2020). "Er ist die Ruhe im Corona-Sturm - aber nicht nur beliebt". swissinfo. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  3. "Abteilung Übertragbare Krankheiten". Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  4. "Neuer Leiter der Abteilung Übertragbare Krankheiten des BAG" (in German). Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG). 31 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  5. "Abschied von «Mr. Corona» - Hatten Sie nie Zweifel, Daniel Koch?". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (in German). 28 May 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  6. "10 Dinge, die wir an Daniel Koch vermissen werden". Schweizer Illustrierte (in German). Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  7. "Der neue «Mister Corona» Stefan Kuster tritt nach kurzer Zeit bereits wieder zurück". Aargauer Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  8. Adrian Müller (5 March 2020). "Das Gesicht der Krise – so tickt «Mr. Coronavirus» Daniel Koch". watson.ch. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  9. Nico Menzato (26 February 2020). "Daniel Koch: Dieser Mann schützt die Schweiz vor Coronavirus". watson.ch. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
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