Biosketch

I am an associate professor and the head of the division of pediatric neurosurgery at the University Medical Centre Göttingen (UMG) Germany. After completing my neurosurgical training at the University Medical Centre Göttingen and Schleswig-Holstein (UK-SH, Kiel), I worked as a senior consultant at the Department of Neurosurgery at UKSH in Kiel. I further specialized in pediatric neurosurgery and completed a one-year clinical fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at the British Columbia Children’s Hospital (University of British Columbia) in Vancouver, Canada, under the supervision of Professors Paul Steinbock and Doug Cochrane. Before going back to Göttingen, I worked as consultant at the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Children’s Hospital Sankt Augustin for four years. I am a member of the European Society of Pediatric neurosurgery (ESPN) Liaison Committee and the extended board of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC), acting as managing director of the German Neurosurgery Society Foundation for Neurosurgical Research. My clinical focus lies on complex dysraphic lesions, congenital malformations, endoscopic procedures, craniosynostosis, pediatric tumor surgery, and complex hydrocephalus. My research interests are secondary lesion cascades of open dysraphic spinal cord malformations and their potential neuroprotective targets (in collaboration with Professor Janka Held-Feindt at the UK-SH in Kiel). Clinically I am interested in questions on complex hydrocephalus and pediatric brain tumors. I recently joined the CSF-working group along with PD Dr. Steffi Dreha-Kulaczewski and PD Dr. Hans-Christoph Bock. I am enrolled in a Master's program in medical ethics at the University of Mainz, focusing on the best interests of children in the context of intercultural conflicts, end-of-life issues, and exceptional neurosurgical situations. Since October last year I am a member of the clinical ethical committee (KEK) at the UMG.