Dr. med. Nikolai Pfender is a medical specialist in neurology with a focus on neuroimmunology/multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathies, spinal diseases, and neuromuscular disorders.
Dr. Pfender studied medicine at the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, Breisgau. His dissertation focused on immune tolerance in contact allergy (Prof. Dr. Thilo Jakob). He completed his neurology training at the University Hospital Zurich (Prof. Dr. Michael Weller), where he specialized clinically and scientifically in neuroimmunology/multiple sclerosis with Prof. Dr. Roland Martin, as well as neuromuscular disorders with Prof. Dr. Hans Jung. He then worked as a senior physician for several years at the Spinal Cord Injury Center, University Hospital Balgrist, with a focus on paraplegia (Prof. Dr. Armin Curt) and neurophysiology (PD Dr. Martin Schubert). The main interrest of his research activity at the Neuroimaging Group (Prof. Dr. Patrick Freund) is Magnetic Resonnance Imaging (MRI) of the spinal cord.
In addition to his practice at the Neurozentrum Bellevue, Dr. Pfender is consultant Neurologist at Klinik Hirslanden Zurich and is scientific associated to the Spinal Cord Injury Center, University Hospital Balgrist.
He has also received additional training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (Swiss Medical Society for Acupuncture, SACAM).