From one century to another - lessons learned from the SSV launching

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William F. Pralong studied medicine in Geneva and obtained his doctorate on the biophysics of transport systems in the peripheral nervous system at the Department of Pharmacology, CMU, University of Geneva (1981-1986, Prof. Ralf Straub). He then pursued a research career on diabetic neuropathy, and on the molecular physiology and signal transduction of insulin secretion, at the Institute of Clinical Biochemistry of the Department of Internal Medicine UNIGe (Profs Albert Renold, Class Wollheim and Francis Waldvogel). During his years of research as senior scientist, he developed numerous academic and international collaborations (Queen Mary & Westfield College, London (1 y exchange with Geneva), Paris VII, Budapest, Siena, Philadelphia, UCSD, and ETHZ) and with the industry. During this same period, he also actively participated with UNIGe's Research Unit in Medical Education in the reform of the bachelor-master curriculum in medicine towards a problem-based education.
In 1996, he was recruited by Prof. Bernard Thorens, co-founder with Patrick Aebischer of ModexTherapeutics, to join the start-up for the development of an artificial pancreas in humans.
In 2000 he is called by Patrick Aebischer to accompany him at EPFL to create a new curriculum in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. Because of ISREC arrival at EPFL and the creation of the Global Health Institute, the teaching programme had to be recomposed into a curriculum in Life Sciences and Technology with two masters, one more oriented in Life Sciences and Technology, and the other one in Bioengineering in collaboration with the STI School. Appointed Adjunct Professor in 2004 he will be acting as Section Director for 10 years. In 2010 he was mandated by EPFL Direction and the Dean of FSV, Didier Trono to setting up, in collaboration with the Universities of Lausanne and Geneva, the first Passerelle-Médecine , which was successfully opened in 2011.
William-F. Pralong was actively involved in teaching (propaedeutic courses in Biology for SV and Introduction to Biology for Chemistry + Scientific Police, Biomaterials (MTX), Physiology by Systems, Artificial Organs and Systems, Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics, and a SHS course, Health A wit the CDH. He is still participating today to teaching at the HES-SO and at the “Sitem-Insel” – the Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine in Bern.
He served also the EPFL community by chairing the teaching commission of the CDH (2008-2013). He was also active as a member of the CCE, EPFL's best thesis award committee, the Innogrants Committee, the PPUR Committee, and the EPFL HREC Ethics Committee. From 2008 to 2010, he represented EPFL in Bern on the consultation committee for the drafting of the new Law on Human Research (LRH) and on the cantonal steering committee for the Harmos reform for education.
In September 2013 he was appointed to the EPFL Direction as Delegate for EPFL Quality Assurance and Accreditation. Together with Michel Jaccard, he organized in 2014-2015 the quality audit of EPFL according to the LAU, and the accreditation of all its engineering programmes by the Swiss OAQ and the French “Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur” (Cti). During his mandate he organized a close to complete cycle of EPFL Schools and Colleges evaluations (except FSB). He has served EPFL in this function until August of this year, time of his retirement.
Currently he sits since 2015 and until 2023 at the Swiss Accreditation Council in Bern where he is also chairman of the sub-commission for the accreditation of medical professions. He is an active member of the board of the Swiss Institute of Health Law in Neuchâtel (IDS). Finally, since December 2018, he has taken over the Vice Presidency of the Cantonal Ethics Committee for Human Research, which brings together the cantons of Vaud, Valais, Fribourg and Neuchâtel for clinical trials authorization and supervision.