DK: Dr. Torriani welcome! First question, you have an accent, where are you from?

FT: I am from Switzerland, from the Italian part of Switzerland.

DK: And then where did you study medicine?

FT: In the french part of Switzerland in Lausanne.

DK: Tell me, how long have you been practicing as a medical doctor?

FT: Since 1985.

DK: Ok and where do you currently work, what do you do?

FT: I work at UCSD, I am an infectious disease specialist, and I am the Medical Director of Infection Control at UCSD.

DK: And so what does that consist of?

FT: What my unit is responsible for, is to prevent the occurrence of infections in the hospital setting.

DK: And this is at the UCSD Medical School Hospital?

FT: Yes, University of California San Diego Medical Center.

DK: Wonderful.

DK: What would be interesting for Americans reading this about the way healthcare is in Switzerland?

FT: Healthcare in Switzerland is through a private system as it is here, It’s not a unified or public system, each Swiss, has to by law be insured, and the system is comprised as here by HMO’s and PPO’s. I believe that in Switzerland and in Europe there is a more holistic approach to medicine that includes other diagnostic and therapeutic options in addition to traditional western medicine.

DK: What would be some of those examples?

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