Prof Lukas Fenner

September 26, 2017

Lukas is an epidemiologist and public health expert. His research focuses on infectious disease epidemiology, with a particular emphasis on the epidemiology of tuberculosis and HIV at the intersection of clinical and molecular data. He also has a keen interest in tuberculosis and respiratory virus transmission. As a senior research scientist, he has led multiregional projects on tuberculosis and HIV in large international collaborations (ART-LINC, IeDEA, Swiss HIV Cohort Study, Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research in Europe) and conducted molecular epidemiological studies in Switzerland and sub-Saharan Africa. During a two-year stay in Tanzania, he led a team of physicians and scientists at the Ifakara Health Institute, gaining extensive field experience as a scientific project leader and tuberculosis team leader. He later served as a chief cantonal public health officer in Switzerland, significantly contributing to the public health response during the COVID-19 pandemic, and applying epidemiological principles in practice. Now back at the University of Bern, he leads the tuberculosis projects within IeDEA Southern Africa, including a multi-cohort study spanning five tuberculosis cohorts in a region disproportionately affected by the tuberculosis and HIV epidemics. His experience enables him to bridge theory and practice, connecting academia with public health challenges.