Inaugural lecture by Dr. med. Vanessa Magdalena Swiatek as part of the habilitation process
Dr. Vanessa Magdalena Swiatek's inaugural lecture as part of her habilitation process will take place on Friday, 1 August 2025, at 5 p.m. in Lecture Hall 7 of the Medical Faculty at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.
Under the title ‘Making the Cut: About MANtorship and Women Leading the Future of Neurosurgery,’ Dr. Swiatek will address the role of women in neurosurgery and the importance of targeted support in a traditionally male-dominated field. With this inaugural lecture, she will officially be awarded her habilitation.
About the speaker:
Dr. med. Vanessa Magdalena Swiatek studied human medicine at Hannover Medical School and received her doctorate from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. She gained international research experience during her studies, including at the University of Iowa in 2020, where she was involved in neurosurgical research. Since then, she has been working clinically and scientifically in neurosurgery at Magdeburg University Hospital under the supervision of Prof. Erol Sandalcioglu.
Her research focuses on the treatment of intracranial aneurysms, particularly on investigating risk factors that can lead to aneurysm rupture. She pays particular attention to gender-specific differences and modifiable risk factors. In addition, she is involved in the development of innovative training models for neurosurgical education – for example, for dissection of the Sylvian fissure or aneurysm clipping in a simulator.
Dr. Swiatek is currently in her fourth year of specialist training – at only 28 years of age. Completing a habilitation at this early stage of her clinical career is a remarkable achievement that deserves attention across disciplinary boundaries.
Her scientific work is carried out in the working group of Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Belal Neyazi, under whose supervision she has achieved the aforementioned research results. This aspect of her career takes on particular significance in the context of her lecture on mentoring.
With over 25 publications, an interdisciplinary approach and a combination of scientific excellence, clinical relevance and didactic commitment, Dr. Swiatek is one of the most promising figures in her field.
Photo: Dr. med. Vanessa Magdalena Swiatek ©UMMD