Urs Fischer is “Professor for Acute Neurology and Stroke” at the University Hospital (Inselspital), Bern. In August 2021, he will move to Basel, where he will become e new chairperson of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital.

Urs Fischer studied in Bern, London, San Francisco and Lomé and graduated in 2000. He trained as a neurologist in Bern. In 2008/2009, he performed a “Master of Science by Research in Clinical Neurology” at the University of Oxford. In 2014, he became an associate professor and in 2015, he was elected as “Professor for Acute Neurology and Stroke” at the University of Bern (Extraordinarius). Urs Fischer is a clinical researcher and his main research interest involves diagnosis, management, treatment and outcome of patients with acute neurological diseases, especially of patients with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. He is participating in multiple preventive, diagnostic and acute treatment trials and stroke registries. He is principal investigator of several international multicenter academic trials on the management of patients with ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. The SWIFT DIRECT trial (www.swift-direct.ch) investigates whether adding intravenous thrombolysis to mechanical thrombectomy improves the patient outcome compared to direct mechanical thrombectomy alone. The ELAN trial (www.elan-trial.ch) assesses when oral anticoagulation with direct oral anticoagulants in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation can be introduced. The SWITCH trial (www.switch-trial.ch) investigates whether decompressive craniectomy in addition to the best medical treatment is superior to best medical treatment alone for patients with intracerebral haemorrhage. Urs Fischer is active in National and European Stroke Societies: he is the former Secretary General of the European Stroke Organisation (ESO), treasurer of the Swiss Neurological Society (SNG), member of the programme committee of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), and he is co-founder the ESO ESMINT ESNR Stroke Winter School. Together with his colleagues of the stroke center Bern he is currently establishing the European Stroke Master Program, which will start to enroll students in 2022.