16 programmes and training pathways found from official sources. Confirm current availability, licensing, and operating privileges directly with each institution.
This summary describes the profiles indexed here; it is not a count of vacancies.
Read the individual participation terms: a broad clinical pathway label does not establish hands-on access.
9 focus areas are represented. Compare the curriculum and supervision within your intended subspecialty.
Cerebrovascular comparison guide →General & multi-subspecialty comparison guide →Microneurosurgery & anatomy comparison guide →Neuro-oncology comparison guide →Ask the selected host in Switzerland whether your qualifications fit this specific post, which patient-care activities are permitted, and who arranges registration and immigration documentation. Country coverage does not imply that every profile accepts international applicants.
International application checklist →Before committing, request the current cohort dates, supervisor, expected weekly activities and a breakdown of support and costs. Confirm whether the official source describes this programme, an institution-wide policy or an older intake.
Compare your shortlisted profiles →What international applicants should confirm before committing time or fees.
Clinical work requires the applicable MEBEKO diploma process and entry in MedReg. A registered but non-recognised diploma may allow training to start, but it does not necessarily permit completion of the Swiss specialist title.
The employer and canton must verify the language needed for practice. For a MedReg language entry, the federal authority accepts evidence at B2 or higher; the local working language varies by centre.
Registration, cantonal permission and immigration or work authorisation are separate gates. Even a fellowship host may restrict active operating-room participation until the required permit is valid.
Swiss sources describe different routes, including subspecialty fellowships, neuroradiology training and passive observerships. Some indexed opportunities come from historical training concepts; a training-centre listing does not establish a current fellowship vacancy. Check the source date, pathway label and the host’s current appointment arrangements before applying.
Official Swiss recognition guidance →Travelling fellowship · Clinical · Research pathways are represented. Country-level licensing, language and visa requirements are not inferred; confirm them with the host and the current national or regional regulator.
International applicant guide →Recorded information is not a guarantee of funding, eligibility or a currently open intake.
Zurich · Switzerland
Listed lead Zsolt Kulcsár, MD, PhD
Funding: The official page describes working-time compensation and continuing education but does not publish salary figures.
Exposure: Advanced neuroimaging, on-call work, interdisciplinary boards, conferences, research and teaching in a closely integrated clinical neuroscience service.
Eligibility: Swiss or EU professional authorisation is required; applicants without that authorisation should confirm eligibility before applying.
Still to confirm: Commencement · Deadline · International eligibility · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Application documents · Accreditation
Source: Official University Hospital Zurich fellowship page. Reviewed 14 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Zurich · Switzerland
Listed lead Zsolt Kulcsár, MD, PhD
Funding: The official page describes working-time compensation and continuing education but does not publish salary figures.
Exposure: Endovascular and minimally invasive neuroradiology, on-call and ward duties, selected elective interventions, research, teaching and interdisciplinary conferences.
Eligibility: Swiss or EU professional authorisation is required; applicants without that authorisation should confirm eligibility before applying.
Still to confirm: Commencement · Deadline · International eligibility · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Application documents · Accreditation
Source: Official University Hospital Zurich fellowship page. Reviewed 14 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Inselspital Bern Department of Neurosurgery
Bern · Switzerland
Listed lead Andreas Raabe (department head; individual observership supervisor to be confirmed)
Funding: Self-funded; Inselspital states that travel and accommodation costs are not covered.
Exposure: Passive participation in ward rounds, operations and meetings to understand clinical processes and expand knowledge.
Eligibility: Foreign or domestic doctors, medical students and medical professionals may request a passive observership; a separate elective/internship track on the same page excludes applicants from non-EU/EFTA countries.
Still to confirm: Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Positions · Training level · Examinations · Language · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Programme director · Accreditation
Source: Official Inselspital jobs and careers page. Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
University Children's Hospital of Basel (UKBB)
Basel · Switzerland
Listed lead Prof. Raphael Guzman
Funding: Salary for the clinical fellow is published on the ISPN centre profile; observership funding is not published.
Exposure: Paediatric neurovascular, neuro-oncology, neuroendoscopy, hydrocephalus, craniofacial, dysraphism, epilepsy, spasticity and neurotrauma across about 200 paediatric neurosurgical procedures a year with three fellowship-trained paediatric neurosurgeons.
Eligibility: Open to suitably qualified international applicants who meet Swiss registration and immigration requirements for the chosen pathway.
Still to confirm: Funding · Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Accreditation
Source: Official ISPN fellowship centre profile. Reviewed 12 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Zurich · Switzerland
Listed lead Prof. Dr. med. Giuseppe Esposito; Prof. Dr. med. Luca Regli
Funding: Self-funded unless external sponsorship is arranged.
Exposure: Microsurgical laboratory training in the Zurich tradition, with multidisciplinary Swiss professional-society credit published for the 2027 course.
Eligibility: Course-specific registration applies; this is continuing education rather than a clinical fellowship appointment.
Still to confirm: Current status · Deadline · Positions · Training level · International eligibility · Examinations · Language · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Application documents
Source: Official University Hospital Zurich 2027 course page. Reviewed 14 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Balgrist University Hospital / AO Spine
Zurich · Switzerland
Listed lead Mazda Farshad, MD, MPH
Application status: The 2027 AO Spine call is closed. Applications for the 2028 programme are scheduled for April–May 2027; exact days are not published.
Funding: AO Spine provides a partial stipend toward living costs; travel, insurance and any shortfall are the fellow's responsibility.
Exposure: Spine surgery with opportunities for clinical, radiological, biomechanical and orthopaedic-computing projects at the research campus, by arrangement with the institute director.
Eligibility: International programme open to AO Spine members worldwide with at least two years' membership; AO allocates host centres and applicants should not contact host centres until AO confirms the placement.
Still to confirm: Current status · Positions · International eligibility · Medical registration · Examinations · Benefits · Fees
Source: Official AO Spine host-centre profile. Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
CHUV Lausanne Department of Neurosurgery
Lausanne · Switzerland
Listed lead Pr. M. Levivier, named in the 2023 concept as head of postgraduate training for the neurosurgery service.
Application status: The 2023 training concept describes post-specialist opportunities, not a current vascular vacancy. Myriam Annabi remains listed as the departmental applications-and-information contact on the currently served CHUV training page; confirm the subspecialty opening directly.
Funding: An employed clinical post is described, but salary and benefits are not published in the fellowship document.
Exposure: Competitive post-specialist development in vascular neurosurgery within CHUV's academic department.
Eligibility: External candidates are included in the 2023 concept, but this does not establish automatic eligibility for every overseas qualification or a current vacancy. Confirm specialist-title recognition and employment requirements.
Still to confirm: Funding · Current status · International eligibility · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Accommodation · Accreditation
Source: Official CHUV 2023 postgraduate concept, section 1.4. Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
CHUV Lausanne Department of Neurosurgery
Lausanne · Switzerland
Listed lead Pr. M. Levivier, named in the 2023 concept as head of postgraduate training for the neurosurgery service.
Application status: The 2023 training concept describes post-specialist opportunities, not a current radiosurgery vacancy. Myriam Annabi remains listed as the departmental applications-and-information contact on the currently served CHUV training page; confirm the subspecialty opening directly.
Funding: An employed clinical post is described, but salary and benefits are not published in the fellowship document.
Exposure: Competitive post-specialist development in radiosurgery within an academic neurosurgical service.
Eligibility: External candidates are included in the 2023 concept, but this does not establish automatic eligibility for every overseas qualification or a current vacancy. Confirm specialist-title recognition and employment requirements.
Still to confirm: Funding · Current status · International eligibility · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Accommodation · Accreditation
Source: Official CHUV 2023 postgraduate concept, section 1.4. Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Swiss Society of Neurosurgery (SGNC) with King's College Hospital
London · Switzerland / United Kingdom
Application status: Closed: the application deadline was 15 October 2026. The planned start is 1 July 2027; SGNC says the next fellowship call will follow.
Funding: The Swiss Glioma Foundation adds a CHF 3,000 travel grant to the fellowship; the SGNC page states no salary or employment terms at King's College Hospital.
Exposure: At least 6 months of neurosurgical oncology at King's College Hospital, on-call participation and one additional rotation in another neurosurgical subspecialty.
Eligibility: Only physicians in neurosurgical training in Switzerland from the 4th training year onward are considered
Still to confirm: Current status · Participation level · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Programme director · Accreditation
Source: Official SGNC Swiss-King's Fellowship page. Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Kantonsspital St. Gallen — Interdisciplinary Spine Center, H-OCH Health Ostschweiz
St. Gallen · Switzerland
Listed lead Martin N. Stienen — Spine Center co-lead and AO-listed surgeon responsible for fellows
Application status: The 2027 AO Spine call is closed. Applications for the 2028 programme are scheduled for April–May 2027; exact days are not published.
Funding: AO Spine pays a small stipend as a contribution toward travel, accommodation and meals; travel and insurance costs must be covered by the fellow and AO Spine does not arrange accommodation.
Exposure: The host page lists 30 beds and about 1,400 surgical cases per year, with standard open, endoscopic, minimally invasive, anterior and intradural techniques and spinal navigation. Other activities listed are interdisciplinary boards, educational activities with other Swiss spine departments, simulator training for spinal injections, virtual-reality training for microsurgical and endoscopic discectomy, and a clinical research lab. Scrub-in is decided case by case depending on the medical licence and HR approval; the page notes it is usually only possible for fellows from EU/FTA countries. The operating-room language is German.
Eligibility: Scrub-in assessed case by case depending on medical licence and HR approval; usually only possible if fellow comes from an EU/FTA country
Still to confirm: Current status · Commencement · Positions · Participation level · Training level · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Accreditation
Source: Official AO Spine fellowship host-centre page (AO Foundation). Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
CHUV Lausanne Department of Neurosurgery
Lausanne · Switzerland
Listed lead Pr. M. Levivier, named in the 2023 concept as head of postgraduate training for the neurosurgery service.
Application status: Historical 2018 listing only. Neither a current standalone spine fellowship nor the old administrative contact is confirmed by this profile. The 2023 concept lists vascular, functional, paediatric, skull base and radiosurgery subspecialty posts; spine appears only in the older 2018 concept.
Funding: The historical concept described a clinical appointment; current salary, funding and benefits are not published in this profile.
Exposure: The 2018 concept described spine subspecialty training in CHUV's spinal surgery unit. Current curriculum and availability require confirmation.
Eligibility: Current international eligibility is not confirmed. The historical concept's reference to external candidates does not establish eligibility for a current spine appointment.
Still to confirm: Funding · Training exposure · Current status · Participation level · Training level · International eligibility · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Accommodation · Accreditation
Source: Historical official CHUV training concept (30 October 2018). Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Schulthess Klinik — Department of Spine Surgery
Zurich · Switzerland
Listed lead Markus Loibl — AO-listed surgeon responsible for fellows; Markus Loibl and Tamás Fekete co-lead spine surgery
Application status: The 2027 AO Spine call is closed. Applications for the 2028 programme are scheduled for April–May 2027; exact days are not published.
Funding: AO Spine pays a small stipend as a contribution toward travel, accommodation and meals; travel and insurance costs must be covered by the fellow and AO Spine does not arrange accommodation.
Exposure: Open, endoscopic, minimally invasive, anterior and intradural spine techniques with navigation; clinical outcome research supported by the hospital's prospective spine registry.
Eligibility: This host participates in AO Spine's global short-term international scheme for spine physicians or specialists in orthopaedics, neurosurgery or trauma surgery. Applicants must be 45 or younger, have at least two years of AO Spine membership and prior participation in an AO course/event, and have had no spine fellowship in the preceding two years except self-funded training. Selection does not grant medical registration, visa approval or permission to scrub in; host requirements apply separately.
Still to confirm: Current status · Commencement · Positions · Participation level · Training level · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Accreditation
Source: Official AO Spine fellowship host-centre page (AO Foundation). Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
