Mirko Winkler, Associate Professor, PhD, DTM&H

PD Dr Mirko Winkler is Assistant Professor/Senior Lecturer (Habilitation) at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH). Trained in Environmental Sciences (MSc ETH), Epidemiology (PhD) and Clinical Tropical Medicine (DTM&H), he is the Head of the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Research Group at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. PD Dr Winkler considers himself an Environmental Epidemiologist and is thus concerned with the study of environmental exposures and societal factors that contribute to adverse health conditions and wellbeing. His current research activities have two foci. One is on HIA of large infrastructure development projects (e.g. natural resource extraction and renewable energies; www.swisstph.ch/hia4sd), conflict, urbanisation and global climate change in low- and middle-income countries. The other is on chemical and microbial exposure assessment in the context of small-scale agriculture and sanitation safety planning.

Main research interests

• Health impact assessment of large infrastructure development projects in low- and middle-income countries, particularly extractive industries, renewable energy projects and water resources developments (e.g. www.swisstph.ch/hia4sd)
• Impact assessment and evaluation of interventions that aim at building resilience and adaptation to conflict, urbanisation and global climate change
• Exposure pathways and health effects of pesticide use in small-scale farmers in tropical contexts
• Safe recovery and reuse of solid and liquid waste for promoting recycling of nutrients, energy and wastewater in the context of urbanisation in low- and middle-income countries

Career history

• 2018-current: Head Health Impact Assessment Research Group; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH), Swiss TPH/University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
• 2015-current: Scientific Project Leader; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH), Swiss TPH/University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
• 2015-current: Course Director and Coordinator of CAS International Cooperation and global health (German title: Internationale Zusammenarbeit und Globale Gesundheit (IZGG) (ehemals: Allgemeiner Tropenkurs (ATK)); Department of Education and Training (ET), Swiss TPH/University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
• 2015-2017: Visiting Research Fellow; Escola Nacional de Saúde Púplica Sergio Arouca (ENSP)’ at the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 2011-2015: Postdoctoral Fellow; Swiss TPH/University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
• 2008-2011: PhD student; Swiss TPH/University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
• 2007-2008: Research Fellow; Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Education and qualifications

• 2019: Habilitation in Epidemiology (equivalent to Associate Professor in the United States), University of Basel, Switzerland
• 2012-2015: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Epidemiology; Swiss TPH/University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
• 2011: Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H); Gorgas Memorial Institute of Tropical and Preventive Medicine, Lima, Peru/University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA