Born in 1965, Dr. Leuzinger is a senior shoulder physician at the etzelclinic. He studied medicine at the University of Zurich, and passed his examinations there in 1991. He then proceeded on the traditional medical career path, holding positions as assistant and senior physician, before becoming senior physician and the chief deputy physician at the Ruti District Hospital in 1999. In 2000, he and Dr. Borsky founded the etzelclinic. He is now one of the most distinguished shoulder surgeons and, in addition to his work at the etzelclinic, is an active educator, teaching, giving guest lectures, and performing live surgeries and international shoulder surgery research.

Memberships

• Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Chirurgie
• Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Traumatologie und Versicherungsmedizin
• Europäische Gesellschaft für Knie, Sport und arthroskopische Chirurgie
• Surgery Institute, Annecy (Dr. Lafosse)
• Deutschsprachige Arbeitsgemeinschaft Arthroskopie, Instruktor und Mitglied der Kommission Kommunikation
• Französische Gesellschaft für Arthroskopie
• Europäische Gesellschaft für Schulter- und Ellbogen-Chirurgie

Born in 1974, Dr. Sternberg is senior physician of elbow surgery and, together with Dr. Leuzinger, is responsible for shoulder surgery at the etzelclinic. He finished his medical studies in 2002 at the Charité, at the Humboldt University of Berlin. After a short period as a surgeon in Germany, his career took him to Switzerland in 2003, to the renowned Schulthess Clinic in Zurich. After completing expansive training in the fields of orthopedics and trauma surgery, he had become a ​​senior physician at the Baden Canton Hospital by 2007. Since 2010, he has played an integral role on the etzelclinic medical team and among its partners. In addition to giving academic presentations and publishing, Dr. Sternberg has also been active as a physician of sports medicine, and has provided medical care to the Swiss first division ice hockey club (NL A) and during the Hockey World Championship in 2009.

Memberships:

• DGOOC | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie
• AGA | Deutschsprachige Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Arthroskopie
• GOTS | Gesellschaft für orthopädisch-traumatologische Sportmedizin
• DVSE | Deutsche Vereinigung für Schulter- und Ellenbogenchirurgie e.V.
• FMH | Verbindung der Schweizer Ärztinnen und Ärzte

Dr. Pellegrino, born in 1967, is senior physician for foot and ankle surgery at the etzelclinic. He studied medicine at the University of Zurich, where he passed his state examinations in 1992. From 1993 to 2000, he was an assistant physician at several regional hospitals, and worked for three years in the traumatology department of the Winterthur Canton Hospital, before moving to Locarno in 2000 where he became a senior physician. In 2002, Dr. Pellegrino moved to the Lachen Hospital, where he worked as a senior physician until 2006. During this time, he participated in numerous training courses and fellowships abroad, and became one of the pioneers and experts of minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery in Switzerland.

Memberships:

• Deutschsprachige Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Arthroskopie
• Foederatio medicorum helveticorum
• Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Chirurgie
• Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Allgemeine und Unfallchirurgie
• Schweizerische Belegärzte-Vereinigung
• Groupe de Recherche et d’Etude Chirurgi

Prof. Dr. med. Werner, born in 1971, is head of Spine & Pelvic Surgery at the etzelclinic. He studied medicine at the University of Zurich, where he passed his state examination in 1999. From 2000-2005 he was an assistant physician at university hospitals in Switzerland, passed the American state examination and habilitated at the Medical Faculty of Zurich. He completed his orthopaedic surgery training with three fellowships in the USA from 2005-2007. He then returned to Balgrist University Hospital as a senior physician before being appointed head physician at Zurich University Hospital. From 2008 to 2016, he was Head of Spine & Pelvic Surgery at the Department of Trauma Surgery. In 2012, he was awarded a titular professorship. In 2015, he was appointed Deputy Clinic Director. In parallel, he completed an Executive MBA at the Business School of the University of Zurich. In 2016, he worked independently at the Ortho Clinic Zurich (Hirslanden) before joining the etzelclinic team in the summer of 2021.

Dr Schwab, born in 1984, forms the knee and hip team at etzelclinic together with Dr Buchmann. After studying medicine at the Technical University of Munich, he passed his state examination in 2011. He began his surgical training in 2012 at the Cantonal Hospital of Graubünden in Chur. His specialist training as an orthopaedic surgeon and traumatologist took him from the Cantonal Hospital of Graubünden to the Schulthessklinik in Zurich via the Cantonal Hospital of Baselland. In 2019, he passed his specialist examination and was awarded the ‘Harold Vasey’ prize for the best written and overall examination in Switzerland. From 2019, Dr Schwab worked as a senior physician in orthopaedics and traumatology at the Graubünden Cantonal Hospital in Chur. He specialised in joint-preserving therapies and prosthetics and was involved in medical student training at the AO foundation.

He joined the knee and hip team at the etzelclinic in March 2024.

Dr Helena Milavec, born in 1983, is a specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology of the musculoskeletal system (FMH) with a specialisation in spinal surgery. Together with Prof. Dr Werner, she is responsible for spinal and pelvic surgery as well as interventional pain therapy of the spine at the etzelclinic. Dr Milavec studied medicine at the Medical University of Vienna with stays at the ETH Zurich (Pharm. Sciences), in Mexico, at the Inselspital Bern and at the University Hospital Zurich. She graduated in Vienna in 2011. She obtained her doctorate in the field of brain research at the Faculty of Medicine in Bern. She completed her training as a junior doctor in Switzerland in the fields of general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedics and traumatology. She then worked as a senior physician at the University Emergency Centre and the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the Inselspital in Bern, specialising in spinal surgery. This was followed by periods at the National University Hospital in Singapore with a focus on spinal tumours and research and at the Instituto Clavel in Barcelona with access to robot-assisted, minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques. She spent most of her time as a senior physician at Inselspital and Kantonsspital Aarau, where she was responsible for spinal cancer, among other things.

In addition to her clinical work as a doctor, Dr Milavec has been involved in research and teaching since 2009. She leads various studies on the spine, gives international lectures and teaches students at the Faculty of Medicine in Bern.

Dr Buchmann, born in 1972, is part of the knee team at the etzelclinic and is also responsible for knee and hip joint prosthetics. He studied medicine at the University of Zurich and passed his state examination in 2002. He began his surgical career at Davos Hospital. Further stages of his general surgical training were at Wetzikon Hospital and Triemli City Hospital in Zurich, and as a senior consultant at Lachen Hospital. In addition to specialising in surgery, he decided to complete his specialist training in orthopaedics at the Schulthess Klinik in Zurich in 2012. In 2014, he became senior consultant in orthopaedics and traumatology at the Graubünden Cantonal Hospital in Chur. He has been working at the etzelclinic since 2017, adding knee and hip joint prosthetics to the range of services on offer. Together with Dr Schwab, he forms the etzelclinic’s knee and hip team.

Memberships:

• FMH Verbindung der Schweizer Ärztinnen und Ärzte
• swiss orthopaedics Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Traumatologie
• AGA Deutschsprachige Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Arthroskopie
• AGSZ Ärztegesellschaft des Kanton Schwyz

Born in 1988, Katrin Theiler spent her tenth year of school in Eastbourne, England, before completing her training as medical assistant at the Juventus School in Zurich from 2005 to 2008. 2008 also saw her entry into professional life, when she joined the etzelclinic in July of that year. After completing supplementary training as a qualified medical practice director at the Bénédict School in Zurich between April 2010 and April 2011, she became Director of the etzelclinic practice in May of 2011.

Deborah Hofstetter, born 1995, completed her training as a medical practice assistant at the BZGS (Berufs- und Weiterbildungszentrum für Gesundheits- und Sozialberufe St. Gallen) from 2011- 2014. The first years after her training she worked in various medical practices in general medicine. She has been working for etzelclinic since March 2017. From February 2018, she completed further training as a medical practice coordinator (practice-leading direction) at the Juventus-Woodtli School in Zurich, which she successfully completed in July 2020. Since August 2018 she has been leading a team of 8 medical assistants and 1 medical secretary as head medical assistant.