Prof. Dr. med. Daniel Hänggi

Prof. Dr. med. Daniel Hänggi is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon with particular expertise in vascular neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, skull base surgery, spinal neurosurgery, and pediatric neurosurgery. A major focus of his work is translational neurosurgery, bridging neuroscientific and neurosurgical research with clinical application and combining innovative treatment concepts, advanced technologies, and highly specialized patient care.

Prof. Hänggi graduated in medicine from the University of Basel in 1998 and received his medical doctorate in the same year. His clinical training began in orthopedic spine surgery at University Hospital Basel and in otorhinolaryngology and oral and maxillofacial surgery at University Hospital Bern. From 2000 to 2004, he trained at the Department of Neurosurgery of University Hospital Basel, where he subsequently served as an attending neurosurgeon.

From 2005 to 2009, Prof. Hänggi was an attending neurosurgeon at the Department of Neurosurgery of Düsseldorf University Hospital. In 2009, he was appointed Deputy Director of the department, a position he held until 2015.

His international neurosurgical training included several fellowships in the United States, including at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the University of Illinois Medical Center Chicago, and the University of Miami Medical Center. In 2008, Prof. Hänggi completed his habilitation at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and received the Venia Legendi in neurosurgery. In 2010, he obtained additional qualification in specialized neurosurgical intensive care, and in 2012 he was appointed Professor of Neurosurgery at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.

In 2014, Prof. Hänggi was appointed to a W3 Professorship of Neurosurgery at University Medical Center Mannheim, Heidelberg University. From 2015 to 2019, he served as Professor and Director of the Department of Neurosurgery.

In 2019, he accepted the W3 Chair of Neurosurgery at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and served as Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Düsseldorf University Hospital from 2019 to 2023.

Since 2023, Prof. Hänggi has served as Director of Translational Neurosurgery at the INI – International Neuroscience Institute® in Hannover. In addition, he has been a Consultant in Neurosurgery within the Hirslanden Group in Switzerland since 2018 and a Visiting Professor of Neurosurgery in Lahore, Pakistan, since 2023.

A major clinical focus of Prof. Hänggi is vascular neurosurgery, including the evaluation and surgical treatment of complex neurovascular disorders such as cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, cavernous malformations, and conditions requiring cerebral bypass surgery.

In neuro-oncology, his work focuses on the microsurgical treatment of complex brain and spinal cord tumors using modern technologies such as intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring and neuronavigation. His aim is to achieve effective tumor treatment with the highest possible level of safety and preservation of neurological function, integrated into an interdisciplinary neuro-oncological treatment concept.

Another major area of expertise is minimally invasive skull base surgery, combining microsurgical and endoscopic techniques. His clinical practice also includes minimally invasive and instrumented spinal surgery as well as the full spectrum of pediatric neurosurgery.

As Director of Translational Neurosurgery, Prof. Hänggi combines this broad clinical expertise with scientific research and technological innovation. A central objective of his work is to translate advances in neuroscience and experimental research into new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for clinical neurosurgery.

Prof. Hänggi is a member of numerous national and international professional societies, including the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC), the German Academy of Neurosurgery, the German Skull Base Society, the Swiss Society of Neurosurgery, the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS), the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).

He also serves on the editorial boards of several international scientific journals, including Acta Neurochirurgica, Brain & Spine, Neurosurgery, and Central European Neurosurgery.

Prof. Hänggi is the author of more than 300 PubMed-indexed scientific publications and has contributed to and edited numerous neurosurgical books and book chapters. He has delivered numerous national and international lectures at scientific congresses and educational meetings and is strongly committed to neurosurgical teaching and training. He regularly serves as faculty and tutor at national and international neurosurgical courses.

For his scientific and clinical work, Prof. Hänggi has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the World Expert Award 2019 in subarachnoid hemorrhage.

His work at the INI combines highly complex neurosurgery, scientific research, and technological innovation, with the aim of translating new scientific knowledge as directly as possible into improved diagnostics and treatment for neurosurgical patients.