Barbara Broers obtained a MD of the University of Amsterdam in 1987. After working as an intern in the Netherlands and France, and spending a year in Nepal training traditional midwives and “barefoot doctors”, she joined the HUG in 1990 to work in the field of HIV/AIDS and addiction. After completing a Master's degree in epidemiology and biostatistics at McGill University, she joined the HUG Division of Primary Care Medicine, where she became head of the Addiction Unit in 2010. 

A specialist in the clinical and public health aspects of addictions, Barbara Broers has been a member of the Federal Commission for Addiction Issues since 2008, assuming the role of Vice-president since 2012. She co-founded the Swiss Society of Addiction Medicine (SSAM) in 2002, and served as its Vice-president until 2020. She was also behind the creation of the Postgraduate Certificate in Addiction Medicine. Very involved in training, she teaches addiction medicine and was also responsible for the 'gender and health' component of the UNIGE's 'Gender' diploma from 2002 to 2006. Since June 2013, she has also been the academic adviser to the Faculty of Medicine's Master's programme. She was appointed privat-docent in 2001, lecturer in 2007, and was promoted to associate professor in the Department of Community Health and Medicine in 2015. She retires in September 2025.