European Sleep
Surgery Academy

European Sleep Surgery Academy

Join us with high class conferences, attend practical surgery exercises, workshops and proctored dissection room trainings.

  • Contemporary Sleep Diagnostics in 2025
  • Palatopharyngeal Surgery Techniques
  • and much more
Register now

Next Course:

August 28th – 30th, 2025​​​

Inselspital University Hospital​

in Bern, Switzerland​

THE ESSA AMBITION

The European Sleep Surgery Academy (ESSA) was founded by international recognized European sleep physicians with an extraordinary expertise in sleep surgery in cooperation with Neuwirth Medical Products. The intention of ESSA is to provide innovative therapeutical solutions for ENT surgeons within Europe.

The field of surgical treatments of sleep-disordered breathing is emerging with a lot of ground-breaking innovation which will be focused in the Europe-wide events: the scope is covering the screening of proper candidates for specific non-CPAP treatments and the attempt to provide an insight in the current state of affairs on surgical treatment of snoring and OSA.

OUR UPCOMING EVENTS

3rd ESSA-Course

28th – 30th August 2025
at the University of Bern/Switzerland

Participate at our event
Program

2nd ESSA-Course

Oct 17th – 19th 2024
at the Universidad de Valencia

Participate at our event
Program

1st ESSA-Course

June 8th – 10th 2023
at the University of Antwerp, Belgium

Program

Faculty

Prof. Dr. Olivier M. Vanderveken, MD, PhD​

Prof. Dr. Clemens Heiser

Prof. Dr. Clemens Heiser, MD, PhD​

Prof. Dr. med. Joachim T. Maurer, MD

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Sommer

Prof. Dr. J. Ulrich Sommer, MD

Prof. Dr. Nico de Vries

Prof. Dr. Nico de Vries, MD, PhD

OUR SWISS TEAM

Dr. med. Samuel Tschopp

Scientific Head, Bern

PD Dr. med. Urs Borner

Organisation Team Bern​

Prof. Dr. med. Marco Caversaccio

ENT Clinical Director & Chairman of Department, Bern

Prof. Dr. med. Dr. med. dent. Benoît Schaller

Bern

PD Dr. med. Anne-Kathrin Brill

Bern

Prof. Dr. med. Raphaël Heinzer

Lausanne

Dr. med. Karma Lambercy

Lausanne

Dr. med. dent. Sibylle Chatelain

Lausanne

PD Dr. med. Dr. med. dent. Dominik Ettlin

Zürich

Dr. med. Gian-Marco Widmer

Zürich

Prof. Dr. med. Kurt Tschopp

Basel/Liestal

Dr. med. Christoph Knaus

Basel/Liestal

THE ESSA EXPERIENCES & LEARNINGS

The ESSA courses are designed to provide a state-of-the-art program that always offers a comprehensive overview of both, standard and innovative surgical techniques, led and conducted by high-class specialists, the hands-on sessions are trained by absolute experts in this area. The technical equipment and the learning environment guarantee best conditions for learning exchange and collegial interactions.

Dissection room

Course room

Hands-on-Training

Scientific Agenda

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Impressions
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PARTICIPATE

Early bird fees until 15.03.2025

1.300 CHF p.P. plus VAT

Participation Fee
including dissection training

  • lectures
  • workshops
  • dissection training
  • Surgical trainings

750 CHF p.P. plus VAT

Regular Participation Fee
without dissection training

  • lectures
  • workshops
  • Surgical trainings

350 CHF p.P. plus VAT

Students and fellows
without dissection training

  • lectures
  • workshops
  • Surgical trainings

Present a Poster

The ESSA faculty would like to offer participants the opportunity to take part in a poster session. If you, as a participant, would like to present a poster as part of the ESSA training course, please enter the desired information. A jury of experts will award prizes to three posters.
Please check our Guidelines!

Prof. Dr. Olivier M. Vanderveken, MD, PhD​

Prof. Dr. Olivier M. Vanderveken, MD, PhD, is a full-time ENT,Head and Neck Surgeon at the Antwerp University Hospital where he is appointed as the Chair of the Department. He holds a position as Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Antwerp. 

His main research projects are in the area of sleep-disordered breathing. His research is focusing in particular on pathophysiological assessment of upper airway collapse including phenotyping, drug-induced sleep endoscopy, treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and upper airway surgery including hypoglossal nerve stimulation and transoral robotic surgery. In the past, he has been awarded several national and international scientific awards. 

Olivier Vanderveken holds a Senior Clinical Investigator Fellowship at the
Research Foundation Flanders (FWO).

Prof. Dr. Clemens Heiser

Prof. Dr. Clemens Heiser, MD, PhD​

Clemens Heiser is an ENT, Head and Neck surgeon at the Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, where he is also leading the sleep laboratory.

He was one of the early adaptors of hypoglossal nerve stimulation in the clinical routine. Further research projects are in the area of sleep-disordered breathing – especially the development of diagnostic and
therapeutic tools. Clemens Heiser has been awarded in the past for several national and international scientific awards.

He is one the key opinion leaders in the field of neurostimulation in the upper airway. Further interests are the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnea.

Prof. Dr. med. Joachim T. Maurer, MD​

Prof. Dr Joachim T. Maurer MD is an internationally recognized expert for the treatment of sleep disorders, in particular obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. He is Director of the Division of Sleep Medicine at the University Hospital in Mannheim, University of Heidelberg. Dr. Maurer is a primary investigator in several clinical trials for all available Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation Systems since 2009 as well as other innovative treatments. He has authored numerous original research articles, review articles, and book chapters on OSA and snoring. He regularly appraises sleep disorders centers, is examiner for applicants in sleep disorders specialisation, and course director “Diagnosis and treatment of sleep disordered breathing” and “Surgery for sleep disordered breathing”. For twelve years he supports and launches an ENT-Department with residents’ training in the District Hospital of Ruli, Rwanda.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Sommer

Prof. Dr. J. Ulrich Sommer, MD​

Prof. Dr. J. Ulrich Sommer, MD, is a full-time ENT, Head and Neck Surgeon at the Technical University Munich and the ENT-Center Mangfall-Inn. Furthermore, he holds a position as Professor at the University of Heidelberg, Faculty of Medicine in Mannheim.

Prof. Dr. Sommer graduated from University of Heidelberg in 2008. He received his doctoral degree in 2010 and was appointed tosenior lecturer in 2013. He gained his professorship in 2016 and lead the ENT-Department of the University Hospital Wuppertal beginning in 2018. Since 2020 he is working at the Technical University in Munich to continue his research and is furthermore working at the ENT-Center Mangfall-Inn. His research focus lies on sleep medicine in general and in hypoglossal nerve stimulation and soft palate surgery in particular. His activities lead to over 150 publications in peer reviewed journals, guidelines and books.

Prof. Dr. Nico de Vries

Prof. Dr. Nico de Vries, MD, PhD​

Nico de Vries is ENT specialist at OLVG West Hospital Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His special interest is diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in adults, in particular alternatives to CPAP. 

Research topics include Drug Induced Sleep Endoscopy, Implants, OSA surgery, Positional Therapy, Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation, Combined Treatments, OSA and bariatric surgery, OSA and Anesthesia, OSA and
biomarkers. Since 2014 he is guest professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium and since 2016, professor of Dental Sleep Medicine, dept oral kinesiology, ACTA, Amsterdam.

According to Research Gate, his H-index is 47. He has > 300 publications in international and national peer reviewed journals, > 70 book chapters and > 300 presentations.

MORE IMPRESSIONS OF OUR LAST EVENT

1. ESSA