Dominique Belli, Emeritus Professor at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) Faculty of Medicine and former Head of the Department of Children and Adolescents at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), has been awarded the prestigious Distinguished Service Award 2025 by ESPGHAN (European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition), the leading learned society in the field.

This distinction recognises an exceptional career marked by major contributions to paediatrics, and more specifically to paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. Prof. Belli's achievements include the creation of the only paediatric liver transplant programme in Switzerland, which has become an international benchmark for its holistic approach to patients.

A pioneer in the study of parenteral and enteral nutrition and a recognised expert in gastrointestinal motility, Professor Belli also founded the HUG's multidisciplinary Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit, which he has turned into a platform for clinical, scientific and educational excellence.

His commitment to training and mentoring has had a profound effect on several generations of paediatricians, both in Switzerland and internationally. Within ESPGHAN, he was Treasurer for 9 years, organised two annual congresses, and since 2018 has been Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. This appointment celebrates an exemplary career in the service of children's digestive and nutritional health.