Prof. Dr. med. Venelin Gerganov

Prof. Dr. med. Venelin Gerganov is an internationally experienced neurosurgeon with particular expertise in complex skull base surgery, cerebellopontine angle surgery, brain tumor surgery and neuro-oncology, as well as minimally invasive and spinal neurosurgery.

After graduating from the Medical University of Sofia in 1996, Prof. Gerganov completed his neurosurgical training at the university’s Department of Neurosurgery. He subsequently underwent extensive subspecialty training at leading neurosurgical centers in Austria and Germany, focusing on skull base surgery, neuro-oncology, neuroendoscopy, and minimally invasive and image-guided neurosurgery.

In 2006, Prof. Gerganov joined Prof. Madjid Samii at the International Neuroscience Institute (INI) Hannover, where he has continued his clinical and academic career ever since. He became an Attending Neurosurgeon in 2008 and was appointed Head of the Attending Neurosurgeons at the INI in 2014.

His longstanding collaboration with Prof. Madjid Samii has particularly shaped his expertise in complex skull base and cranial nerve surgery. A major focus of his surgical practice is the treatment of challenging tumors and other lesions of the cerebellopontine angle and skull base. His surgical approach combines precise microsurgical tumor treatment with the greatest possible preservation of neurological function.

His additional clinical specialties include the surgical treatment of complex brain tumors and neuro-oncological disorders, minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures, and spinal neurosurgery. Modern microsurgical, endoscopic, and image-guided techniques are integral components of his surgical practice.

Since 2018, Prof. Gerganov has also held a concurrent clinical and academic position at the Department of Neurosurgery of University Hospital “Pirogov” in Sofia, Bulgaria. He maintains a regular clinical and surgical practice there and serves as Professor of Neurosurgery, combining his longstanding work at the INI Hannover with continuous academic and clinical collaboration in Bulgaria.

In 2022, Prof. Gerganov was appointed Professor of Neurosurgery at Hannover Medical School (MHH).

In addition to his clinical work, Prof. Gerganov is actively engaged in scientific research and academic teaching. He has published more than 70 scientific papers indexed in Medline and has authored and co-authored numerous chapters in international textbooks and scientific monographs. Together with Prof. Madjid Samii, he authored the monograph “Surgery of Cerebellopontine Angle Lesions,” published by Springer in 2013, providing a comprehensive account of the surgical management of complex lesions of the cerebellopontine angle.

Prof. Gerganov is regularly invited as a speaker at international scientific congresses, workshops, and educational meetings, where he presents his clinical and scientific experience, particularly in skull base surgery, brain tumor surgery, and complex microneurosurgery.

He is a member of numerous national and international professional societies, including the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC), the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS), the European Skull Base Society (ESBS), the German Skull Base Society, the Bulgarian Society of Neurosurgery, and the Madjid Samii International Neurosurgical Society (MASSIN). He is also an Honorary Member of the Southeast European Neurosurgical Society (SEENS) and the Macedonian Neurosurgical Association.

His clinical and scientific work combines extensive microsurgical experience, modern skull base surgery, neuro-oncology, and international academic collaboration, with the aim of providing highly precise neurosurgical treatment while preserving neurological function whenever possible.