My name ist Dörte Petit. I offer advice and support to you and your public health projects, drawing on my expertise, extensive experience and enthusiasm for effectiveness and scientific rigour.
I look forward to hearing from you so that we can discuss your topics and questions – I work in German, French and English.
Whether it’s a brief consultation or long-term support, I can assist you in developing projects and strategies in the field of public health. My work is always based on a solid scientific foundation and over 20 years’ practical experience across a range of public health topics and contexts.
With over 20 years’ experience in project management in the fields of prevention and health promotion, strengthening health systems and vaccination programmes, I will support your projects from the initial idea right through to implementation. Working alongside you, I will identify specific intervention needs, develop suitable project ideas and implement them in a targeted manner – drawing on sound scientific and methodological expertise.
Effective public health projects require a solid scientific foundation. Through in-depth analysis and research, I can lay this foundation for you – ensuring that your projects and processes meet the actual needs of your target groups and that your objectives are achieved more effectively.
As a qualified trainer for the European Prevention Curriculum run by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), and with many years’ experience in leading webinars and workshops, I share my knowledge in a practical and dialogue-based way. My focus is on effective health promotion and prevention – for teams and organisations wishing to strengthen their capabilities in this area.
My journey into public health began in a hospital. As a speech and language therapist in an acute neurological clinic, I treated many patients who had suffered a stroke. Through my work, I realised that effective prevention would have spared many of these people a hospital stay. Since then, public health, prevention and health promotion have been at the heart of my motivation. That was over twenty years ago, and it remains the driving force behind my work to this day.
I hold a Master of Public Health from Bielefeld University (specialising in prevention and health promotion) and a Doctor of Public Health and Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. My doctoral thesis examined the reconstruction of the health system in Liberia – work I undertook whilst working for the World Health Organisation’s Health Action in Crises programme.
In between, I have gained over ten years’ international experience: I have worked on neglected tropical diseases in South Sudan, HIV/AIDS prevention in Benin and vaccination programmes in various African countries. This time has sharpened my understanding of global health systems – and taught me how public health can function under very different circumstances.
From 2021 onwards, I focused more on Switzerland and took on the role of Senior Project Manager in the Prevention Department at Addiction Switzerland. There, I played a key role in ensuring that evidence-based prevention became a central pillar of the department’s strategy, and was the lead author of the report ‘Evidence-based addiction prevention in schools: a review’ commissioned by the FOPH. I also took the initiative to introduce the European prevention curriculum developed by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) to Switzerland – and was the first person in the country to be trained in its implementation.
Thanks to my trilingualism (German, French, English) and my international and local experience, I offer a holistic perspective on evidence-based public health projects – with a particular focus on health promotion and prevention. I am a member of the European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR) and Public Health Switzerland.
Would you like to strengthen evidence-based public health, prevention and health promotion within your organisation? I look forward to discussing with you.
Freelance Consultant Public Health Effekt. Since 2026
Senior Project Manager, Prevention Department 2021-2026
Addiction Switzerland, Lausanne, Switzerland
Programme Manager, ESTHER Switzerland 2019 - 2021
Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Consultant 2017 - 2019
World Health Organization (WHO) Health Systems & Immunization Divisions, Geneva, Switzerland
Senior Country Manager, Francophone Africa 2013 - 2014
Gavi, Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization, Geneva, Switzerland
Scientific Advisor, Cancer Prevention 2012 – 2012
Union Internationale Contre le Cancer, Geneva, Switzerland
Public Health Officer 2008 - 2011
WHO, Health Action in Crises, Geneva, Switzerland
Technical Advisor, German Development Service (DED) 2005 - 2007
Population Services International (PSI), Cotonou, Benin
Scientific Advisor, South Sudan 2004 - 2005
WHO, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Geneva, Switzerland
Research Assistant 2002 - 2004
University of Bielefeld, School of Public Health, Germany
Speech-Language Pathologist, 2000-2002
Kursamed Neurological Clinic, Hennef-Allner, Germany
Doctor of Public Health in Epidemiology and Public Health (DrPH) 2007-2012
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Master of Public Health & European Master of Public Health (MPH) 2002-2004
Universität Bielefeld, Faculty of Public Health
Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology (MSc) 1998-2000
Boston University, Sargent College
Intermediate diploma Education 1994-1998
University of Cologne
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