Prof. Stephan Windecker

Prof. Stephan Windecker is one of the most distinguished interventional cardiologists in the world. He serves as Chairman of the Department of Cardiology at Bern University Hospital (Inselspital), Switzerland's national referral centre for cardiology, and holds the position of Professor of Cardiology and Vice-Dean at the Medical Faculty of the University of Bern. A Fulbright Scholar, Prof. Windecker is triple-fellowship trained across interventional cardiology, general cardiology, and cardiac electrophysiology, the latter at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is internationally recognised for his leadership in transcatheter heart valve interventions, coronary artery disease management, and large-scale cardiovascular clinical trial design. In 2025, he was announced as the recipient of the prestigious TCT Career Achievement Award — one of the highest honours in interventional cardiology — to be presented at TCT 2025 in San Francisco. His contributions to registries such as SwissTAVI and numerous landmark randomised controlled trials have shaped global cardiology guidelines and clinical practice.

Prof. Stephan Windecker completed his medical degree (MD) and undertook residency and fellowship training in general cardiology and interventional cardiology at Bern University Hospital. His triple-fellowship training extended to cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, where he studied as a Fulbright Scholar — a highly competitive international academic award. He received an American Medical Association/Educational Research Fund Award in recognition of his early-career research. He subsequently returned to Bern University Hospital where he rose through the academic ranks to become Chairman of Cardiology and Professor at the University of Bern. Prof. Windecker has served as a member of the programme committee for ESC and other major international cardiology congresses, and has been a principal investigator on numerous landmark cardiovascular trials. He is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC) and has been awarded the ACC Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Reviewers in 2020.

Prof. Stephan Windecker's clinical expertise is concentrated in interventional cardiology and structural heart disease. He is a world-leading expert in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and has been a principal contributor to the evidence base supporting TAVI's expansion to lower-risk patient populations through participation in landmark trials. His broader interventional expertise covers complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), chronic total occlusion PCI, bifurcation lesions, multivessel disease, and drug-eluting stent technology evaluation. Prof. Windecker also has fellowship training in cardiac electrophysiology, providing a comprehensive understanding of arrhythmia management in cardiac patients. He leads the SwissTAVI Registry, one of the world's most comprehensive transcatheter valve intervention registries, providing real-world outcome data that complements randomised trial evidence. His expertise in clinical trial design and statistical methodology has made him one of the most sought-after investigators in cardiovascular research, with contributions to the ESC and ACC guidelines on coronary and valvular heart disease.

Bern University Hospital (Inselspital) is Switzerland's national referral hospital and regularly treats complex cardiology cases referred from across Switzerland, Europe, and internationally. Prof. Windecker's team consults in German, English, and French, making the department accessible to patients from a wide range of countries. International patients with complex coronary artery disease, aortic valve stenosis requiring TAVI evaluation, or other structural heart conditions are welcomed for second-opinion consultations or definitive treatment. Patients should bring echocardiograms, cardiac CT scans, coronary angiograms, and relevant cardiac history documentation. Inselspital is located in Bern, Switzerland's capital, accessible by air via Bern Airport or the nearby Zurich and Geneva international airports. The hospital's international patient coordination team assists with logistics, documentation, and liaison with home-country cardiologists. Post-procedure telemedicine follow-up is available for international patients who have returned home.

Prof. Stephan Windecker's career has been marked by exceptional international recognition. He is the recipient of the TCT 2025 Career Achievement Award, presented by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation — one of the highest honours in interventional cardiology globally. He received the American College of Cardiology Simon Dack Award for Outstanding Reviewers in 2020. He was awarded an American Medical Association/Educational Research Fund Award for early-career research excellence. He is a Fulbright Scholar and Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC). The I2-Summit Innovator Award recognised his contributions to cardiovascular innovation. As Chairman of Cardiology at Inselspital and Vice-Dean at the University of Bern, Prof. Windecker has also received institutional recognition for his leadership in building a world-class cardiology programme.