Prof. Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro Receive The Stern-Gattiker Award

The lack of female role models remains one of the main obstacles to women’s academic progression in medicine. To address this, the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (ASSM) awards the Stern-Gattiker Prize, worth 15,000 francs, every two years to a female doctor who embodies this role model. The 2026 winner is Prof. Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro, an oncologist at the Fribourg Hospital.

Trained in Rome and then in Zurich, Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro has built a career characterised by a dual focus on clinical and scientific excellence. A specialist in medical oncology since 2009, she headed a translational research laboratory at the University Hospital of Zurich before joining the HFR in 2022 as Head of the Oncology Department and Full Professor at the University of Fribourg. Since 2025, she has also chaired the Department of Medical and Surgical Disciplines. Internationally recognised for her work in the treatment of lung cancer, her research – funded by the SNSF and Innosuisse – aims to gain a better understanding of immunosuppressive pathways in solid tumours.

Beyond her clinical and research work, it was her commitment to supporting the next generation of researchers that was a key factor in her appointment. She helped establish the Swiss Oncology Summer School, advises the European School of Oncology and coordinates a postgraduate programme on lung cancer. Her supporters highlight the lasting impact of her mentoring initiatives: “They provide guidance, support and access to a network, which benefits everyone, and women in particular.”

The Stern-Gattiker Prize, worth CHF 15,000 is named in honour of Lina Stern (the first female professor at the Geneva Faculty of Medicine) and Ruth Gattiker (one of the first in Zurich), was launched eight years ago and will be presented at a ceremony on 12 November in Bern.