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Thorsten Jentzsch
PD Dr. med., M.Sc.

Thorsten Jentzsch

Consultant Spine Surgery, Head of Site UWZH at Schaffhausen Canton Hospital
Languages
German, English
Academic position Specialisation Honors and awards Graduate University degree Continuing professional development Professional career Postgraduate Member of the Board Teaching posts Fellowships Grants Memberships Scientific projects Other activities Reviewer and editorial board activities Publications

Academic position

Lecturer at the University of Zurich

Specialisation

  • Spine Surgery
  • Spinal Surgery Register
  • Specialised Traumatology
  • Epidemiology

Honors and awards

2021AO Spine North America Young Investigator Grant Award
2020Chief Clinical Spine Fellow, Toronto Western Hospital, Canada
2018Paper of the month of Balgrist University Hospital with the contribution "Radiological and Clinical Outcome After Reversed L-Shaped Osteotomy: A Large Retrospective Swiss Cohort Study".
2015Nomination for the Science Award of Balgrist University Hospital with the paper "Expression of MSH2 and MSH6 on a tissue microarray in patients with osteosarcoma".

Graduate

2025Specialty Title Specialised Traumatology, SIWF
2025Self-Assessment, swiss orthopaedics
2025 Technical pearls in standard procedures: Intraoperative complications: How to deal with it?, swiss ortjopaedics
2025Spinal endoscopy: EndoSpine Academy Advanced Course
2024Spinal endoscopy: EndoSpine Academy Basic Course
2021Interdisciplinary Specialty Title Spine Surgery (SIWF)

University degree

2022Habilitation (venia legendi) for Orthopedics, University of Zurich
2016Distance learning Master of Science in Epidemiology, University of London and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK
2013Doctorate in Medicine at Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich
2010Study of human medicine and license to practice medicine, Bayerische Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany

Continuing professional development

  • United States medical licensing examination (USMLE) steps 1 and 2 clinical knowledge (CK) and clinical skills (CS), educational commission for foreign medical graduates (ECFMG) certificate, USMLE Step 3, America
  • Test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL), America
  • Various clinical and research-oriented training courses
  • Study abroad (e.g. elective year) during medical studies
    • Hematology and Oncology, University of Otago at Wellington, New Zealand
    • Emergency Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa
    • Orthopedics and Traumatology, University of Texas at San Antonio, America
    • Orthopedics and Traumatology, University of Cincinnati, America
    • Orthopedics and Traumatology, Emergency Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
    • Orthopedics, Balgrist University Hospital Orthopedics, Fleetinsel Clinic, Hamburg, Germany
    • Orthopedics, König-Ludwig-Haus, Würzburg, Germany
    • Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany
    • Orthopedics, Traumatology and Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, America

Professional career

2023–2025Consultant with Special Skills, Spine Surgery, Orthopedics (Prof. Dr. M. Farshad, MPH), Balgrist University Hospital and Head of the UWZH Schaffhausen site, Cantonal Hospital Schaffhausen
2022–2023Consultant, Spine Surgery, Orthopedics (Prof. Dr. M. Farshad, MPH), Balgrist University Hospital and Head of the UWZH Schaffhausen site, Cantonal Hospital Schaffhausen
2021–2022Consultant, Spine Surgery, Orthopedics (Prof. Dr. M. Farshad, MPH), Balgrist University Hospital
2018–2019Consultant, Orthopedics (Prof. Dr. M. Farshad, MPH), Balgrist University Hospital

Postgraduate

2017–2018Residency and Physician Fast Track, Orthopedics (Prof. Dr. M. Farshad, MPH), Balgrist University Hospital
2017Specialist examination and grant for Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System (CH), Muttenz
2017Specialist examination and granting for orthopedics and trauma surgery (D), Hamburg, Germany
2017Resident, Orthopedics and Traumatology (PD Dr. K. Eid), Kantonsspital Baden, Germany
2015–2017Resident, Physician Fast Track and Resident Spokesperson, Orthopedics (Prof. Dr. C. Gerber), Balgrist University Hospital
2014–2015Research Associate, Trauma Surgery (Prof. Dr. H.-P. Simmen), University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich
2010–2014Resident, Trauma Surgery (Prof. Dr. H.-P. Simmen) including Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine (Dr. P. Steiger), University Hospital Zurich

Member of the Board

Head of Scientific Advisory Board (SIRIS)

Teaching posts

Seit 2025Examiner for the Swiss Federal Examination in Human Medicine, Clinical Skills Examination, University of Zurich
Since 2024Examiner for the oral final examination for the specialist in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology of the musculoskeletal system (Swiss Orthopaedics)
2018Sports Medicine Mantle Study
Since 2015Repetitorium for medical students
Since 2011Supervision of dissertations and master theses, University of Zurich
Since 2009Clinical examination course of the musculoskeletal system, repetitorium for medical students, suture and knot course, University of Zurich
Until 2009Biochemistry and physiology lecture and tutor, Bavarian Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Germany

Fellowships

2019–2020

Fellowship in komplexer Wirbelsäulenchirurgie, Neurochirurgie (M. G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, E. Massicotte, MD, M.Sc, MBA, FRCSC) und Orthopädie (S. J. Lewis, MD, M.Sc, FRCSC, Y. R. Rampersaud, MD, FRCSC), Toronto Western Hospital, Universität Toronto, Kanada, akkreditiert von der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) Spine

  • Fokus auf adulter und pädiatrischer Deformitätskorrektur, minimalinvasiven Techniken und Tumoren
  • Entsendung von der Universitätsklinik Balgrist

Grants

2021USD 1000, Young Investigator Research Grant Award, AO Spine North America
2019–2020CHF 41'000, Fellowship in Spine Surgery, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich
2014CHF 14 189, Distance learning MSc Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich
2014CHF 3547, Distance learning MSc Epidemiology, Swiss Trauma Foundation, Dietlikon 

Memberships

  • Member of the Quality and Methodology Committee (Swiss Orthopaedics)
  • Member of the Spinal Surgery Expert Group (Swiss Orthopaedics)
  • Head of the Scientific Advisory Board (SIRIS)
  • Member of the Spinal Surgery Quality Programme Expert Group (Zurich Health Department)
  • Associate Member (AO Deformity Knowledge Forum)
  • Swiss Orthopaedics, Bourg-en-Lavaux
  • Association of Swiss Physicians (FMH), Bern
  • AOSpine, Davos
  • Association of Swiss Assistant and Senior Physicians (VSAO), Bern
  • Eurospine, Uster
  • Schaffhausen Cantonal Medical Association

Scientific projects

  • Various projects focusing on spinal surgery and epidemiology, including quality and methodology, as well as spinal surgery registries in orthopaedics
  • Statistical consulting and analysis in various projects
  • Supervision of master theses and dissertations

Other activities

2003–2004Other service abroad (civilian service): Kindergarten and youth sports supervisor, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) of Austin, TX, independently organised project with the help of the Association for International and Intercultural Exchange (Via e. V.), Lüneburg
Until 2000Handball team squad of the Hamburg selection, northeast German selection and youth national team until the end of his career due to a patella tendinitis syndrome

Reviewer and editorial board activities

  • Reviewer The Spine Journal
  • Reviewer Spine
  • Reviewer Global Spine Journal
  • Reviewer and Moderator Global Spine Congress
  • Reviewer and Moderator swiss orthopaedics Annual Congress
  • Reviewer European Radiology
  • Reviewer Injury
  • Reviewer Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research
  • Reviewer PLOSONE
  • Reviewer BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Reviewer European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery

Publications

PubMed

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Illustration of the structures, muscles and tendons on the spine

The spine is a key component of the human body and spine surgery is correspondingly important at Balgrist University Hospital. The experienced surgical team led by Prof. Mazda Farshad specialise in the entire spectrum of treatment for diseases and injuries of the spinal column, providing patients with optimal support.

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