Board of Directors

Urs Lauper is a gynecologist and obstetrician and worked for many years as a leading physician at the Department of Obstetrics at Zurich University Hospital. In 1999, he visited Laos for the first time and held a two-week workshop for medical professionals there. In 2000, he founded the Swiss Laos Hospital Project, which he chaired as president until 2015.

Hans Ulrich Bucher is a former head physician and full professor of neonatology. He was President of the Swiss Laos Hospital Project from 2015 to 2023. As Past President, he maintains contact with patrons and donors and is available for administrative tasks.

Marion Mönkhoff is a specialist in paediatrics and neonatology and has worked as Chief of Neonatology at Zollikerberg Hospital from 2004 to 2018. Since then, she’s working in pediatrics and at the maternity unit of the Hirslanden Clinic. She has been involved in the Swiss Laos Hospital Project since 2003, where she heads the Neonatology Group. During her numerous assignments in Laos, she visits neonatology clinics throughout the country and supports them through teachings, training programs, in-kind donations, and renovations or expansions of neonatology departments. As Vice-President, she is also committed to raising awareness of the work of the Swiss Laos Hospital Project in Switzerland. She heads the Humanitarian Medicine Working Group of the Swiss Society of Neonatology.

Toni Berthel was trained as an electrician and, after completing his school-leaving certificate and medical studies, went on to become a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He was a senior physician from 1992 to 2019 and most recently medical co-director of Psychiatry Winterthur. From 2012 to 2019, he chaired the Swiss Federal Commissions on Drug Issues EKD / Addiction Issues EKSF. He is co-founder of the Psychiatry Working Group of the SLHP, which was established in 2019.

Stefanie Huggle studied medicine in Heidelberg and the USA, trained as a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics in Konstanz, Frauenfeld, Basel and Wetzikon, and is now chief physician at Linth Hospital, Uznach. She has been a regular volunteer in Laos since 2018, primarily for courses in gynecological ultrasound. She heads the Gynecology and Obstetrics Working Group of the SLHP.

Claudia Reichmuth is a nurse specialising in paediatrics in the neonatology department of the Zollikerberg hospital. She has been a member of the Swiss Laos Hospital Project since 2004, and since 2005 she has been working twice a year in various provincial hospitals in Laos. Her work focuses on the training of Laotian nursing staff, the procurement and introduction of medical equipment and support for the renovation or new construction of neonatology units. Since 2016 she has been representing the nursing staff on the board of our association.

Stefanie Schmucki is an expert in accounting and controlling and holds an EMBA in General Management from the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden. She joined Kantonsspital Glarus as CFO and member of the Executive Board on September 1, 2024. Prior to this, she was CFO of Privatklinik Hohenegg in Meilen, a psychiatric facility, for four years. During her work as a trustee in consulting, she also gained extensive experience in various areas of financial and management consulting.

Dr. Christine Zehntner is a specialist in anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine, Executive MBA HSG. She was Head Physician at the Institute of Anaesthesiology at the Cantonal Hospital in Winterthur (KSW) from 2006 to 2022. Since her first assignment in Laos in 2018, she has already worked several times at the hospital in Phonsavan in a team with various specialists from KSW. She serves also as Vice President of the Phonsavan (Laos) & Kantonsspital Winterthur Hospital Partnership Association. In this role, she represents the association on the SLHP board.