Compared internationally, the history of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) is unusual. Founded in 1944, at a time of utmost isolation, it was a response to specific needs of the government of Switzerland during the Second World War. In 1943, the Swiss Federal Council approached universities in Switzerland and asked them to submit project proposal that had the potential to mitigate possible post-war unemployment and threatening economic isolation. Members of the University of Basel proposed to establish a Swiss Tropical Institute (today: Swiss TPH). With its harbour at the River Rhine, Basel was an important international transport hub. The city was and still is the headquarters of important pharmaceutical companies, such as Novartis Pharma AG and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, which were looking for new markets overseas. Last but not least, scientific expeditions to Africa were rather common in the 19^th and the beginning of the 20^th century for members of Basel's bourgeoisie. Initially, Swiss TPH focused primarily on basic research into diseases of poverty, but over the years it has developed into an important player in public, international and global health. This article sees the development of the institute as a reflection of the visions of its directors from the founder Professor Rudolf Geigy to Professor Jürg Utzinger, who is the current Swiss TPH director. It includes interviews with the four latest of them, discussing their experiences and attempts to adapt the institute to an ever changing global environment. From these lessons learnt we hope to gain insights that could be relevant for today's leaders of scientific institutes; foster public-private partnerships and contribute to solve some of the most pressing global health challenges.

与国际相比，瑞士热带与公共卫生研究所 (Swiss TPH) 的历史不同寻常。它成立于 1944 年，当时处于极度孤立的状态，是为了满足二战期间瑞士政府的特定需求。1943 年，瑞士联邦委员会与瑞士的大学接洽，要求它们提交有可能减轻战后可能出现的失业和威胁经济孤立的项目提案。巴塞尔大学的成员提议建立一个瑞士热带研究所（今天：瑞士TPH）。巴塞尔的港口位于莱茵河，是重要的国际交通枢纽。这座城市过去和现在都是重要制药公司的总部，例如诺华制药公司和 F. Hoffmann-La Roche 公司，这些公司正在寻找海外新市场。^日和20年初^次巴塞尔资产阶级成员的世纪。最初，瑞士 TPH 主要专注于贫困疾病的基础研究，但多年来，它已发展成为公共、国际和全球卫生领域的重要参与者。本文将研究所的发展视为其董事愿景的反映，从创始人 Rudolf Geigy 教授到现任瑞士 TPH 主任 Jürg Utzinger 教授。它包括对四位最新成员的采访，讨论他们的经历以及使研究所适应不断变化的全球环境的尝试。我们希望从这些经验教训中获得与当今科研机构领导者相关的见解；促进公私伙伴关系，并为解决一些最紧迫的全球卫生挑战做出贡献。