Dedicated to post-doc students in Neurosurgery

The C. Ehrnrooth Foundation established the C. Ehrnrooth Helsinki Vascular & Skull-base Fellowship with the purpose of granting scholarships to international fellows engaged in post-doctoral studies in neurosurgery or young neurosurgeons interested in pursuing further specialization courses in microsurgery.

The C. Ehrnrooth Helsinki Vascular & Skull-base Fellowship’ is applicable for EU board-certified neurosurgeons aged 32-40 for a period of 12 months starting January 1st each year. The selection of the fellows is CV- and interview-based, after an announcement in the European Journal of Neurosurgery (Acta Neurochirurgica) and EANS (European Association of Neurosurgical Societies) website.

The following fellows have been supported so far: 

• Dr. Sajjad Muhammad (2018) from Germany trained in performing vascular and skull-base procedures and learnt how to clip anterior vascular aneurysms and remove skull-base tumors. He also made several publications on the topic during his fellowship.
• Dr. Christoph Schwartz (2019) from Austria participated in over 250 surgeries during his fellowship, allowing him to learn new techniques with regard to tumor surgery, aneurysm clipping, cervical spine surgery as well as experimental bypass surgery.
• Dr. Roel Haeren (2020) is from the Netherlands and his Ph.D. thesis on cerebral microvasculature in relation to drug-resistant epilepsy was awarded the best Dutch neurosurgical publication of 2018. During his fellowship, he will have the opportunity to be exposed to a high caseload of complex skull base and cerebrovascular pathologies.
• Dr. João M Silva (2021) from Portugal is a board-certified and consultant neurosurgeon interested in neuroanatomy, vascular and skull-base surgery and the history of neurosurgery. Prior to his fellowship, he spent 6 years as a neurological surgeon in Porto performing tumour, vascular, trauma and spine surgery.
• Dr. Oriela Rustemi, MD (2021) from Albania has published in the areas of cerebrovascular diseases, neurosurgical techniques and general neurosurgery. Besides these specialties, she is interested in vascular neurosurgery, skull base and brain tumors. Prior to her fellowship, she completed post-doctoral trainings in Italy, France, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and the US. Since 2016, she has been an attending neurosurgeon and consultant in Vicenza, Italy.
• Dr. Michael Veldeman (2022) is a board-certified neurosurgeon from Belgium focused on post-SAH delayed cerebral ischemia, its diagnosis and treatment, and the broader scope of neurointensive care. He is interested in cerebrovascular surgery. Prior to his fellowship, Dr. Veldeman has completed trainings in Germany, Denmark, France, and Switzerland.
• Dr. Tobias Rossmann (2022) is a board-certified neurosurgeon from Austria. His current scientific projects focus on cerebellar stroke and primary cns-lymphoma, and his PhD-thesis addresses the vascular anatomy of peripheral nerves. In addition to studying in Austria, Dr. Rossmann has also trained in Germany, South Africa, and Thailand.
• Dr. Anna Maria Auricchio (2023) is a board-certified neurosurgeon from Italy and EANS, with a special interest in peculiar aneurysms and neurovascular diseases. Her formative years in neurosurgery included a part of residency at the esteemed Neurovascular Department of Niguarda Hospital in Milan. She will complete her PhD in 2024 at the Gemelli University Hospital Foundation in Rome. Starting from February 2024, she will be enriching her experience at the Neurovascular Department of UMC Utrecht. During her fellowship, she participated in over 295 surgeries, including complex neurovascular and skull-base cases and she was involved in many research projects.
• Dr. Francesco Calvanese (2023) is a board-certified neurosurgeon from Italy, who completed his residency at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan in 2021. He then continued his training at the Hôpital Neurologique “Pierre Wertheimer” Bron in Lyon, France before returning to Italy. During his fellowship in Helskini, he participated in more than 300 complex neurovascular and skull-base surgeries, practiced daily in the microsurgery laboratory, and was involved in research, reviews and clinical studies in these two fields.

Discover the testimonials and experiences of past fellows here.