Thorsten Jentzsch
Site Lead, University Spine Center Zurich (UWZH), Schauffhausen Cantonal Hospital
PD Dr. med. Thorsten Jentzsch is an orthopaedic spine surgeon and epidemiologist with Swiss and German specialist qualifications and a habilitation in Orthopaedics. He is a Senior Consultant at Balgrist University Hospital and site lead of the University Spine Center Zurich at Schaffhausen Cantonal Hospital. His surgical practice includes complex spinal deformity surgery and complex revision surgery throughout the spine, as…
PD Dr. med. Thorsten Jentzsch is an orthopaedic spine surgeon and epidemiologist with Swiss and German specialist qualifications and a habilitation in Orthopaedics. He is a Senior Consultant at Balgrist University Hospital and site lead of the University Spine Center Zurich at Schaffhausen Cantonal Hospital. His surgical practice includes complex spinal deformity surgery and complex revision surgery throughout the spine, as well as minimally invasive and endoscopic procedures. He combines a substantial operative and outpatient practice with clinical research, quality improvement and teaching.
His international clinical training began during medical school in Würzburg. Clinical electives and final-year placements took him to Switzerland, the United States, South Africa and New Zealand, spanning four continents. He began his doctoral research during medical school and completed his doctorate at the University of Zurich in 2013. During specialist training in Zurich, he was selected for the Physician Fast Track programme and completed a Master of Science in Epidemiology by distance learning at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He also completed the United States Medical Licensing Examination through Step 3. He subsequently undertook a complex spine fellowship at Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, where he served as Chief Fellow. In 2022, he obtained his habilitation in Orthopaedics at the University of Zurich.
His research focuses on clinical outcomes in spinal deformity and degenerative disease, the evaluation of minimally invasive treatments, epidemiological registry methods, and the quality and comparability of care. He has contributed to numerous scientific publications, frequently as first or last author. National SIRIS Spine projects, international multicentre deformity studies and the EndoSpine registry project link methodological development with clinical application.
As Head of the Scientific Advisory Board of SIRIS Spine and a member of specialist and quality groups within the Zurich Health Directorate, swiss orthopaedics and AO Spine, he contributes to quality improvement and international research. He teaches at the University of Zurich, supervises doctoral and master’s theses, and serves as an examiner for medical students and orthopaedic specialty candidates.
Academic position
"Privatdozent" and Lecturer at the University of Zurich
Specialisation
- Complex spinal deformity, degenerative disorders and revision surgery throughout the spine
- Minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery
- Clinical epidemiology, spine registries and quality of care
- Interventional pain management and specialised trauma surgery
Honors and awards
| 2021 | AO Spine North America Young Investigator Research Grant Award |
| 2020 | Chief Clinical Spine Fellow, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada |
| 2018 | Paper 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". |
| 2015 | Nomination 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
Selected Graduate courses
| Since 2026 | CAS in Spinal Endoscopy, University Zurich – in progress |
| 2026 | Medical assessment training, Swiss Insurance Medicine (SIM) – in progress |
| 2025 | Cadaver Course for Interventional Pain Management; Theoretical Course SSIPM – Fundamentals in Pain Treatment SSIPM, Bern, Switzerland |
| 2024/2025 | EndoSpine Academy (2024); EndoSpine Academy, Advanced Course (2025), Balgrist University Hospital |
| 2024 | MIS TLIF Training Academy, DePuy Synthes, Cologne, Germany |
| 2023 | Full Endoscopic Drill & Shaver Training: Using the Drill for Central Stenosis; Transforaminal Full-Endoscopic Discectomy Training, Stockli Medical AG, Oberkirch, Switzerland |
| 2022 | Spine Academy: Osteotomy, DePuy Synthes Spine, Zuchwil, Switzerland |
| 2022 | Zurich Microsurgery Course, Zurich, Switzerland |
| 2021 | Advanced Surgical Techniques and Complications Management Course, NSpine, Strasbourg, France |
University degree
| 2026 | Advanced qualification in Interventional Pain Management (SSIPM), SIWF |
| 2021/2026 | Interdisciplinary advanced qualification in Spine Surgery, SIWF |
| 2025 | Advanced qualification in Specialised Traumatology, SIWF |
| 2022 | Habilitation and venia legendi in Orthopaedics, University of Zurich |
| 2017 | Specialist qualifications in Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System (Switzerland) and Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery (Germany) |
| 2016 | MSc in Epidemiology, University of London / London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine |
| 2013 | Doctorate in Medicine, University of Zurich; doctoral research begun during medical school |
| 2010 | Medical degree and licence to practise medicine, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg |
Clinical placements and international electives during medical school
| 2010 | Haematology and oncology, University of Otago at Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand |
| 2010 | Emergency medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa |
| 2010 | Orthopaedics and trauma surgery, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA |
| 2009–2010 | Orthopaedics and trauma surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, USA |
| 2009 | Trauma surgery, emergency medicine and maxillofacial surgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich |
| 2009 | Orthopaedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich |
| 2009 | Orthopaedics, Klinik Fleetinsel, Hamburg, Germany |
| 2008 | Orthopaedics, König-Ludwig-Haus, Würzburg, Germany |
| 2007 | Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany |
| 2007 | Orthopaedics, trauma surgery and neurosurgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA |
Continuing professional development
| 2009–2019 | USMLE Steps 1, 2 CK, 2 CS and 3, USA |
| 2014 | ECFMG Certificate, USA |
Professional career
| Since 2026 | Senior Consultant, Spine Surgery (Prof. Dr. M. Farshad, MPH), Balgrist University Hospital |
| 2023–2025 | Consultant with special responsibilities, Spine Surgery (Prof. Dr. M. Farshad, MPH), Balgrist University Hospital |
| Since 2022 | Senior Consultant and site lead, University Spine Center Zurich, Schaffhausen Cantonal Hospital |
| 2021–2023 | Consultant, Spine Surgery (Prof. Dr. M. Farshad, MPH), Balgrist University Hospital |
| 2019–2020 | Clinical Spine Fellow; Chief Fellow in 2020, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada |
| 2018–2019 | Specialist in Orthopaedics, followed by consultant appointments in hip, pelvic and spine surgery, Balgrist University Hospital |
| 2015–2017 | Resident in Orthopaedics; Physician Fast Track and resident representative, Balgrist University Hospital; rotation at Baden Cantonal Hospital in 2017 |
| 2014–2015 | Research Associate, Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich |
| 2010–2014 | Resident in Trauma Surgery, including emergency and intensive care medicine, University Hospital Zurich |
Postgraduate
| 2017 | Specialist examination and certification in Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System, Switzerland |
| 2017 | Specialist examination and certification in Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Hamburg Medical Association, Hamburg, Germany |
| 2017 | Resident in Orthopaedics, Physician Fast Track, Balgrist University Hospital |
| 2017 | Resident in Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Baden Cantonal Hospital, Baden, Switzerland |
| 2015–2017 | Resident, Physician Fast Track and Resident Spokesperson, Orthopaedics (Prof. Dr. C. Gerber), Balgrist University Hospital |
| 2014–2015 | Research Associate, Trauma Surgery (Prof. Dr. H.-P. Simmen), University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich |
| 2010–2014 | Resident, Trauma Surgery (Prof. Dr. H.-P. Simmen) including Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine (Dr. P. Steiger), University Hospital Zurich |
Member of the Board
| Since 2026 | Member of the Spine Endoscopy Research Group (SERG), AO Spine |
| Since 2025 | Member of the spine surgery quality programme expert group, Zurich Health Directorate |
| Since 2024 | Member of the Spine Expert Group and Quality and Methodology Committee, swiss orthopaedics |
| Since 2022 | Associate Member, AO Spine Knowledge Forum Deformity |
| Since 2021 | Head of the Scientific Advisory Board, SIRIS Spine |
Teaching posts
| Since 2025 | Examiner for the Swiss Federal Examination in Human Medicine, Clinical Skills Examination, University of Zurich |
| Since 2024 | Examiner for the oral specialist examination in Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System, swiss orthopaedics |
| Since 2021 | Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich: musculoskeletal clinical examination and examination revision courses |
| 2015–2019 | Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich: musculoskeletal clinical examination and examination revision courses |
| 2018 | Sports medicine elective and suturing and knot-tying course, University of Zurich / Balgrist University Hospital |
| Until 2014 | Clinical examination course, University Hospital Zurich / University of Zurich |
| 2012 | Suturing and knot-tying course, University Hospital Zurich / University of Zurich |
| Since 2011 | Supervision of a total of > 15 doctoral and master’s theses, University of Zurich |
| 2006–2009 | Development of a tutoring programme and student teaching in biochemistry and physiology, Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany |
Fellowships
| 2019–2020 | Clinical Spine Fellowship in complex spine surgery, Neurosurgery (M. G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, E. Massicotte, MD, M.Sc, MBA, FRCSC) und Orthopaedics (S. J. Lewis, MD, M.Sc, FRCSC, Y. R. Rampersaud, MD, FRCSC), Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; AO Spine-accredited, with secondment supported by Balgrist University Hospital; focus on adult and paediatric spinal deformity, minimally invasive surgery and spinal tumours; Chief Fellow in 2020 |
Grants
| 2021 | AO Spine North America Young Investigator Research Grant Award, USD 10’000 |
| 2019–2020 | Fellowship sponsorship, Balgrist University Hospital, CHF 41’000 |
| 2014 | MSc support, University Hospital Zurich, CHF 14’189 |
| 2014 | MSc support, Swiss Trauma Foundation, CHF 3’547 |
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
- AO Spine, Davos
- Association of Swiss Assistant and Senior Physicians (VSAO), Bern
- EUROSPINE, Uster
- Schaffhausen Cantonal Medical Association
Vested interests
- SIRIS, Consultant
Scientific projects
- SIRIS Spine – National registry analyses of treatment outcomes, follow-up, reoperations and quality of care
- EndoSpine – Treatment outcomes and data quality in the local endoscopy registry; preparation of an international consensus dataset and registry pilot
- Spinal deformity – International multicentre neuromonitoring study in high-grade spondylolisthesis and evaluation of fusion strategies in degenerative scoliosis
- Lumbar stenosis – Comparison of decompression techniques and of decompression versus fusion extension for adjacent-segment stenosis after previous fusion
- Digital health – Evaluation of AI-assisted documentation in the spine clinic
- Doctoral and master’s theses – Supervision from study design and data analysis through to scientific publication
Other activities
| 2003–2004 | Independently organised civilian service: children’s and youth sports programmes at the YMCA of Austin, Austin, USA, in cooperation with Via e.V., Lüneburg, Germany |
| Until 2000 | Competitive team handball: Hamburg and northeast German representative teams and the German junior national team |
Reviewer and editorial board activities
Since 2014 → 120 journal-peer-reviews
- Reviewer The Spine Journal
- Reviewer Spine
- Reviewer Global Spine Journal
- 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
- Reviewer for European Spine Journal
Reviewer for eClinicalMedicine
- Session chair, annual congress of swiss orthopaedics, 2025–2026
- Session chair, Global Spine Congress, 2025
- Abstract reviewing, annual congress of swiss orthopaedics, 2024–2025
- Abstract reviewing, Global Spine Congress, 2023–2025
Publications
Selected publications
- 2026 - SIRIS Spine: national registry methodology. Jentzsch T, Bellut D, Schär RT, Haschtmann D, Aghayev E. Swiss national spinal implant registry SIRIS Spine: methods and first results. Brain and Spine. 2026;6:105928. doi:10.1016/j.bas.2026.105928.
View publication on PubMed - 2026 - SIRIS Spine: structured data validation. Aghayev E, Farshad M, Jentzsch T. Impact of Structured Data Validation on Case Completeness and Key Quality Indicators in the SWISS Implant Registry (SIRIS Spine): A SINGLE-CENTER Audit. Global Spine Journal. 2026; Online-publication. doi:10.1177/21925682261481442.
View publication on PubMed - 2024 - International deformity surgery: quality of life and residential status; Jentzsch T et al.; AO Spine Knowledge Forum Deformity. The Influence of Multilevel Spinal Deformity Surgery on the EuroQol 5 Dimensions’ (EQ-5D) Questionnaire and Residential Status in the Elderly: A Prospective, Observational, Multicenter Study. Global Spine Journal. 2024;14(7):1978–1989. doi:10.1177/21925682231162574.
View publication on PubMed
The go-to place for back problems
Spine surgery
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.