Prof. Dr. Claudio Bassetti

Claudio Bassetti (tenth ESRS president, 2008 – 2012) is Professor of Neurology and Director of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland. In the past, he headed the sleep center in Bern (1992–2001), and established clinical and experimental sleep laboratories in the neurology departments of Zürich (2001–2009) and Lugano (2009– 2012).

He is current president of the Swiss Neurological Society and of the European Neurological Society (ENS). Since 2013 he is board member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences. His major research topics are sleep in neurological disorders, narcolepsy, and stroke. He was awarded the 2010 Pisa Sleep Award.

He co-organized the 20th and the 21st ESRS congress in Lisbon and Paris, where the ESRS Sleep Research Award was given for the first two times. He professionalized the organization of the society, fostered the development of ESRS sleep medicine curricula and certifications, supported the activities of continental research networks, enhanced the involvement of the scientific committee in the organization of the ESRS meeting, strengthened the links with other professional Societies (co-organizing the first two meetings with the European Respiratory Society), and edited the ESRS 40th anniversary book.