The Swiss Society of Paediatrics (SSP) has awarded the Fanconi Prize, its highest distinction, to Klara Posfay Barbe, Full Professor in the Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine and Medical Director of the HUG, in recognition of her exceptional contributions to care, research and teaching.

"Prof. Klara Posfay Barbe is a person who has lastingly shaped paediatric medicine and paediatric infectious diseases in Switzerland and well beyond," said Nicole Ritz, President of the Swiss Paediatrics Congress Commission. "A defining figure in Swiss paediatrics, both professionally and as a human being, Prof. Klara Posfay Barbe combines humanity, clinical excellence, scientific innovation and visionary leadership, while remaining consistently humble and composed. She has devoted her life and her work to the health of children and adolescents."

An outstanding academic and clinical career

Klara Posfay Barbe began her career in Geneva before undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship in Pittsburgh, United States, from 2001 to 2004. She holds two FMH specialist titles, in paediatrics and infectious diseases respectively. In 2017, she was appointed Head of the Paediatrics Service at the HUG and Full Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, before becoming Medical Director of the HUG in 2025. Her scientific interests focus on the prevention of infectious diseases and immune system responses to infections and vaccines. She played a decisive role in establishing criteria for administering live vaccines — against varicella or measles, for instance — to patients who have received an organ transplant (liver or kidney).

The Fanconi Prize

The Prize takes its name from Guido Fanconi (1892–1979), regarded as one of the founders of modern paediatrics. Awarded annually since 1981, it recognises academic excellence as well as the clinical, societal and institutional impact of work carried out in the service of child health.