Overview

HEdS-Geneva upholds three core values that define its mission and identity:

• Commitment, reflecting its core profession;
• Boldness, embodying its ambition and dynamic approach;
• Integrity, a fundamental principle it seeks to cultivate both internally and externally.

These principles and ideals are reflected in the attitudes and actions of HEdS-Geneva’s staff and students. They contribute to shaping a shared identity and culture across the School’s five degree programs.

Firmly rooted in the region through its professional, institutional, and scientific networks, HEdS-Geneva also develops collaborations at both national and international levels.

The bachelor education offered at HEdS-Geneva is practice-oriented and focused on the acquisition of professional skills. The training programmes closely combine theoretical teaching with practical training in professional settings.

At university level, the programmes at HEdS-Geneva are based on scientific foundations and validated best practices. A distinctive feature of these programmes is that they allow students to acquire both specific competencies related to each of the five professions taught and interprofessional skills. From the beginning of their studies, students learn to work effectively with other health professionals towards shared and common objectives. The goal is to develop autonomous and responsible professional practice.

According to the Federal Act on Health Professions, continuing education is a professional duty throughout one’s career (lifelong learning). HEdS-Geneva offers two categories of continuing education:

• Certified programmes, validated by a recognised diploma such as CAS, DAS, MAS, which allow for in-depth specialisation in specific fields;
• Non-certified programmes, which are shorter in duration and designed to meet the need for updating professional skills.

These programmes are developed in close collaboration with key stakeholders in the regional healthcare and education systems.

They address the needs of professionals while integrating innovations from Applied Research and Development (AR&D).

Applied Research and Development (AR&D) at HEdS-Geneva is firmly rooted in professional practice and guided by current and future socio-health challenges. As with its other core missions, this requires close collaboration with the professional sector. In addition, scientific partnerships are established with other Swiss and European higher education institutions, as well as with industry.

The innovative and rigorous research conducted at HEdS-Geneva is based on the interplay between:

• The specific expertise developed within its five degree programmes;
• The interdisciplinary scientific collaborations fostered by its researchers.

The outcomes of AR&D contribute to advancing professional practices and expanding scientific knowledge in the field of health, while also enriching both undergraduate and continuing education.

Firmly anchored in its regional context, HEdS-Geneva places its expertise at the service of both public and private healthcare institutions and organisations, offering:

• Specialised professional expertise in specific fields;
• Cutting-edge knowledge derived from Applied Research and Development (AR&D);
• Experience and know-how in pedagogy.

Characterised by the application of knowledge to practice, the services provided by HEdS-Geneva contribute to the advancement of:

• Professional competencies;
• Healthcare services;
• The organisation of the healthcare system.

• Train future professionals capable of interacting effectively and mobilising collective skills to address increasingly complex healthcare situations at individual, family, and community levels (Frenk et al., 2010).
• Develop an interprofessional culture and intelligence to support a concept focused on integrated collective healthcare services (WHO, 2015).
• Promote a person-centred approach, taking into account the individual's living context, while implementing a structured and effective communication methodology.

• Undergraduate education: Collaborate with other health and social care training partners, such as healthcare assistants (ASSC) and social workers.
• Students: Participate in interprofessional networks and conferences, such as the World Healthcare Students Symposium.
• Research: Assess the impact of interprofessional education on collaborative field practices and highlight improvements in patient outcomes.
• Continuing and postgraduate education: Integrate interprofessional dimensions into existing programmes and future Master’s degrees, to enhance the quality, continuity, and safety of care, while fostering new forms of cooperation.
• Teaching staff: Develop a competency framework for collective health and social care, reflecting innovative and efficient practices.

Regulatory requirements stipulate that the Executive Board must comprise at least:

• the Director, who chairs the Board
• the Deputy Director
• the heads of departments
• the heads of teaching/research/continuing education coordination.

The Director of HEdS-Geneva fulfils the duties assigned to him or her (Art. 33 para. 2 of the HES-SO GE Act) with the support of the Executive Board. The latter:

• contributes to taking the decisions/measures necessary for the proper functioning of the school;
• decides on all matters submitted to it concerning the organisation, functioning and development of the school.

The Academic Council is composed of eight external representatives appointed by the State Council and four internal members elected by their peers.

Responsibilities:

• decides on the strategic direction of the development and research policy of HEdS-Geneva
• approves the appointment of the Director
• strengthens the social, economic, health and cultural fabric of the region and links with professional circles
• appoints the external representative to the Strategic Orientation Council of HES-SO Geneva

The Joint Committee is composed of 12 members representing the management and various bodies of HEdS-Geneva.

Responsibilities:

• deals with any issues that the management, staff or students wish to discuss together.

Meetings are held at least twice a year and are open to the public.

The Programme Council assists the programme director in fulfilling the duties assigned to them by law, namely:

• proposing and implementing the programme's strategy and teaching methods
• proposing development actions/resources
• ensuring the smooth running of the programme

Each programme has a Programme Council composed of at least:

• the programme director, who chairs the council
• one representative per mission
• one representative from the programme curriculum
• the heads of thematic clusters (if any)

Depending on the needs and specific characteristics of the programmes, other roles may be added, such as module coordinators.

The composition of the Programme Councils is determined by the HEdS-Geneva management.

• AR&D Council
• Research College (brings together all those involved in research projects)
• Continuing Education College (brings together all those involved in short and long-term training courses)
• Plenary sessions (brings together all HEdS-Geneva staff)
• Student Association: la Sonde

At the cantonal level, HEdS-Geneva is represented in:

Executive Board of HES-SO Geneva 

• Marie-Laure Kaiser, Director of HEdS-Geneva

Strategic Guidance Council :

• Liliane Maury Pasquier, former member of the Council of States and the National Council / Honorary President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Representative Council :

• Eric Fleury, HES Associate Professor 

• Stéphanie Martin Christie, Research Associate at the HEdS-Genève Management and Research Institute

Staff Committee : 

• Sandrine Barberis, Senior Lecturer, Nursing, PER
• Laetitia Prost, Administrative Assistant, PAT
• Chantal Marchi, Treasurer

For further information on these bodies, see: 

• HES-SO Genève website > Institution
• Loi sur la HES-SO Genève
• Règlement d'organisation de la HES-SO Genève

At the intercantonal level, HEdS-Geneva is represented in:

The Consultation Council : 

• Rogoza Krzysztof, HEdS-Geneva student, participatory council for the field
  the Health Council:

The Health Council :

• Maire-Laure Kaiser, Director of HEdS-Geneva;

• Olivier Tejerina, as chair of the Group of Continuing Education Managers in the Health field

The permanent bodies of the Health Domain Council:

Romandy Commission of Programme Coordinators (Commission romande des coordinatrices et coordinateurs de filière - COROFIL) :

• Pasqualina Riggillo, local and Romandy coordinator of the Nutrition and Dietetics programme
• Catia Nunno Paillard, local and Romandy coordinator of the Midwifery programme
• Walter Zecca, local and Romandy coordinator of the Nursing programme
• Ludivine Soguel Alexander, Head of the MSc in Health Sciences programme  

AR&D Committee for the Health field:

• Clara James, Head of the HEdS-Geneva Research Institute

Scientific Commission for the Health field:

• Anne-Violette Bruyneel, HES Professor, Physiotherapy programme, HEdS-Geneva
• Isabelle Carrard , HES Professor, Nutrition & Dietetics programme at HEdS-Geneva
• Marie-Julia Guittier, HES Professor, Midwifery programme at HEdS-Geneva
• Catherine Ludwig, HES Professor, Nursing programme at HEdS-Geneva
• Sébastian Probst, HES Professor, Nursing programme, HEdS-Geneva
• Yohan van de Looij, PhD Biology - Biomedical Imaging, TRM programme, HEdS-Geneva

Group of Continuing Education Managers in the Health field:

• Olivier Tejerina, Continuing Education Manager at HEdS-Geneva

Participatory Council for the Health Sector:

• Safa Jabbir, Nursing student
• Krzysztof Rogoza, Physiotherapy student

For more information on these bodies, see:

• the HES-SO website > Governance 
• Convention intercantonale sur la HES-SO

For a summary of the people elected to the various bodies of the HES-SO:

• résultats des élections 2023

For information on the Health Domain Council, its bodies/authorities, their composition and their powers, see Règlement d’organisation du domaine Santé de la HES-SO.

Loi fédérale sur l'encouragement des hautes écoles et la coordination dans le domaine suisse des hautes écoles (LEHE)

According to this Act, higher education institutions are responsible for (Art. 27):

• periodically reviewing the quality of their teaching, research and services
• ensuring long-term quality assurance and development.

They are subject to institutional accreditation (Art. 28, para. 1). This process is linked to the protection of the diplomas awarded and the right to federal subsidies.

Accreditation must take place no later than eight years after the LEHE came into force on 1 January 2015 (Art. 75, para. 1).

For further information, see the LEHE and the Accreditation Guidelines (Directives d’accréditation) under the LEHE.

According to this federal law (currently being drafted), health programmes from Higher Education Sector will be subject to a specific accreditation procedure (Art. 6, para. 2), independently of the institutional accreditation provided for in the LEHE. The criteria and timetable will be determined at national level.

Accreditation ensures that uniform national standards are applied in training for healthcare professions. This process serves to verify whether:

• the standards for defining the content and structure of study programmes are being met (Art. 6, para. 2, let. a)
• the skills required to practise the profession are taught to students (Art. 6, para. 2, let. b).

For further information, see the federal administration's website on the LPSan.

Under this agreement, HES-SO guarantees the application of quality standards defined at national and international level by the relevant accreditation bodies (Art. 1, para. 1).

Under the responsibility of the Rectorate, the HES-SO has adopted a quality assurance plan with a view to the accreditations required by federal legislation (Art. 16, para. 2).

For further information, see the text of the Convention intercantonale.

HES-SO Geneva applies the quality provisions set out by HES-SO (Art. 10).

The Director General is responsible for implementing the decisions of the HES-SO bodies, in particular with regard to the application of the internal control and quality management system (Art. 25, para. 3, letter g).

The Management Board of HES-SO GE is responsible (Art. 26, para. 1, letters h and i) for:

• ensuring the quality of the training provided and the continuing education courses offered
• overseeing research and development activities and service contracts, and promoting technology transfer.

For further information, see the Loi sur la HES-SO GE.

Ms Marie-Hélène Guyon (Champel, office 034), Phone +41 22 558 61 39, HEdS-Geneva representative for:

• Disseminating information on equal opportunities and barrier-free access within HES-SO Geneva.
• Coordinating the implementation of accommodation measures for students with special needs.

Ms Jesusa ONA (Monday, Tuesday, Friday), HES-SO Geneva representative for: :

• For any cross-cutting questions related to equal opportunities
• In case of difficulties encountered within a school or at the general management level (e.g., discrimination, harassment, etc.).