Patrick Freund
Co-Head University Spinal Center
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. rer. nat. Patrick Freund is an associate professor of paraplegiology at the University of Zurich, head of the Centre for Spinal Cord Injury at Balgrist University Hospital, and co-director of the University Spine Centre Zurich (UWZH).
Following his PhDs in biology at the University of Fribourg (2008) and in medicine at the University of Zurich (2015), he was appointed as an SNF Eccellenza Endowed Professor…
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. rer. nat. Patrick Freund is an associate professor of paraplegiology at the University of Zurich, head of the Centre for Spinal Cord Injury at Balgrist University Hospital, and co-director of the University Spine Centre Zurich (UWZH).
Following his PhDs in biology at the University of Fribourg (2008) and in medicine at the University of Zurich (2015), he was appointed as an SNF Eccellenza Endowed Professor in 2018. From 2023 to 2024, he was an ad personam associate professor of experimental imaging in spinal cord injury, before being appointed associate professor of paraplegiology in 2024. In 2020, he received the Schellenberg Prize.
His research combines medicine, neuroscience and state-of-the-art imaging with the aim of better understanding the effects of spinal cord injuries on the entire central nervous system. The focus is on innovative neuroimaging techniques and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (3T and 7T) to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
In addition to his work at the University of Zurich, Patrick Freund is an honorary professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology in London, as well as an honorary senior scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig.
Academic position
Associate Professor of Paraplegiology at the University of Zurich, Honorary Professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology in London, Research Associate at Max-Planck-Institute
Specialisation
- Non-invasive imaging of structural and functional changes in neurological disorders
- Methodological development of high-resolution MRI sequences for spinal cord and brain
Honors and awards
- 2020: IRP Schellenberg Price
- 2020: Best review paper in “Spinal Cord”
- 2018: Heisenberg Professorship at University of Leipzig but accepted stay offer from University of Zurich
- 2018: SNF Eccellenza Professorship at University of Zurich
- 2014: Best Master Thesis of the Medical Faculty, University of Zürich
- 2009–2011: Fellowship from Swiss National Science Foundation
- 2008–2009: Fellowship from Swiss National Science Foundation
Graduate
| 04/2023 | FMH Specialty in Neurology |
| 09/2021 | Electroencephalography certificate, Swiss Society of Clinical Neurophysiology |
| 08/2021 | Pass in specialist exams for Neurology |
| 11/2016 | Electromyoneurography certificate, Swiss Society of Clinical Neurophysiology |
| 01/2015 | MD (Dr. med.), University of Zürich, Switzerland (09.01.2015) |
| 10/2014 | Master of Medicine, University of Zürich, Switzerland (13.10.2014) |
| 10/2011 | Bachelor of Medicine, University of Zürich, Switzerland (in 4 semesters instead of 6) |
| 01/2008 | PhD (Dr. rer. nat.), Bilingual University of Fribourg, Switzerland |
| 02/2005 | Master of Biology (Dipl.-Biol.), Bilingual University of Fribourg, Switzerland (in 6 semesters instead of 8) |
Professional career
| Since July 2024 | Head of Spinal Cord Injury Center and Member of the Hospital Management Team |
| Since April 2023 | Senior consultant neurology, Balgrist University Hospital |
| Since January 2023 | Ad personam Professor of experimental imaging of the injured spinal cord |
| Since July 2022 | Honorary Professor at Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK |
| Since January 2015 | Honorary Senior Research Associate, Department of Neurophysics, MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany |
Previous positions
| 01/2019-01/2023 | 50% SNF Eccellenza Professor at Balgrist, University of Zürich |
| 07/2018-03/2023 | 50% Clinical Residency in Neurology, University Hospital Zürich |
| 05/2018-06/2018 | 100% Clinical Residency in Neurology, Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland |
| 01/2017-04/2018 | 100% Clinical Residency in Psychiatry, Clienia Schlössli, Oetwil am See, Switzerland |
| 01/2017-04/2018 | 10% Senior Physician, Balgrist, Zürich |
| 11/2014-12/2016 | 100% Clinical Residency in Neurology, Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland |
| 06/2011-10/2014 | 50% Senior research Assistant University Hospital Balgrist, Zürich, Switzerland |
| 06/2011-06/2022 | Honorary Senior Research Associate at Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK |
| 05/2008–05/2011 | 100% PostDoc at Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, U |
Grants and stipends
In total acquired >17M CHF as a PI/Co-PI .
Vested interests
Publications
Five best publications
- D. Pfyffer, AC. Smith, KA. Weber 2nd, A Grillhoesl, O. Mach, C. Draganich, JC. Berliner, C. Tefertiller, I. Leister, D. Maier, JM. Schwab, A. Thompson, A. Curt, P. Freund; Prognostic value of tissue bridges in cervical spinal cord injury: a longitudinal, multicentre, retrospective cohort study; The Lancet Neurology, 2024 Aug;23(8):816-825.
- P. Freund, M. Seif, N. Weiskopf, K. Friston, M. G. Fehlings, A. Thompson, and A. Curt; MRI in traumatic spinal cord injury: progress from a clinical assessment tool to a neuroimaging biomarker; The Lancet Neurology, 2019 Dec;18(12):1123-1135.
- G. David, S. Mohammadi, A. Martin, J. Cohen-Adad, N. Weiskopf, A. Thompson, P. Freund; Spinal cord pathology in traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury; Nature Reviews Neurology, 2019 Dec;15(12):718-731.
- P. Freund, N. Weiskopf, J. Ashburner, K. Wolf, R. Sutter, D. Altmann, K. Friston, A. Thompson, A. Curt; MRI investigation of the sensorimotor cortex and the corticospinal tract after acute spinal cord injury: a prospective longitudinal study; The Lancet Neurology, 2013 Sep;12(9):873-81.
- P. Freund, E. Schmidlin, T. Wannier, J. Bloch, A. Mir, M. Schwab, and E.M. Rouiller; Anti-Nogo A enhances sprouting and functional recovery after cervical lesion in adult primates; Nature Medicine, 2006, Jul; 12(7):790-2.
Contact
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Spinal Cord Injury Center
The Spinal Cord Injury Centere ensures comprehensive care for people with spinal cord injuries – from treatment in the acute phase to long-term rehabilitation. Combining the medical specialties of neurology, urology, orthopedics and general internal medicine, Prof. Dr. Dr. Patrick Freund and his team offer holistic care. Specially trained nursing staff, therapists, and counsellors make sure that patients staying long term are treated in a highly competent yet friendly manner.
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