R. Geigy Foundation-Award 2010,
Country: Switzerland, born: 1969
"Research means listening carefully, asking questions and taking the people's knowledge seriously."
In many places, cattle and humans live closely together. They share food and water, but also parasites and infections. The health of people and animals is, therefore, closely intertwined. A large proportion of the cattle-breeding nomads in the Central African country of Chad are still excluded from the public health system. What is more, the vaccination rate for animals is much higher than that for women and children. In her research work, Esther Schelling tries to overcome the artificial boundary between human and veterinary medicine. Inoculation services for both people and animals – the essence of her research policy based on partnership – are not only less costly, but lead to better acceptance of protective measures by the affected families.