The Board of Directors of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) has confirmed the appointment of Karl Blanchet, Full Professor and Director of the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, as a member of the Evaluation Committee for the "Research on Migration and Health" programme. Jointly launched by the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation and the SAMS and funded by the Johnson Foundation, it aims to strengthen research capacities in migration medicine and the health of migrant populations in Switzerland, with funding of CHF 2.7 million over three years from 2026.

Karl Blanchet is Professor of Humanitarian Public Health. His research focuses on public health, migration, health system resilience, and health challenges in conflict and crisis settings. He is co-Chair of the Lancet Commission on Health, Conflict and Forced Displacement, as well as co-Chair of Lancet Migration Europe, and served as guest editor of a special issue of The Lancet Regional Health – Europe on migration, health and equity, published in 2024. He is also Academic Director of InZone, a UNIGE programme that develops innovative approaches to higher education for refugee populations in crisis settings, notably in Kenya, Jordan and Niger.

This appointment recognises Karl Blanchet's expertise in a field where research on migration and health remains fragmented across disciplines and institutions. Together with the other members of the Committee, he will review funding applications and help identify the projects best suited to meeting the programme's objectives: promoting equitable access to healthcare for vulnerable migrant populations, fostering collaboration between research groups in Switzerland, and supporting early-career researchers.