About us
This course was founded by two fellowship-trained rhinologists at the Medical University of Vienna — driven by a shared passion for surgical education and a belief that hands-on training should be accessible, rigorous, and internationally connected.
Ap. Prof. David Liu and Priv.-Doz. Faris Brkic completed their rhinology fellowships at Stanford University and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust respectively. Together they bring a rare combination of international expertise, academic rigour, and a genuine commitment to passing on their skills to the next generation of sinus surgeons.
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"After rigorous training, we stand for modern, minimally invasive, and maximally effective nose and sinus surgery. Our ultimate goal is to advance the field by sharing this knowledge with the next generation of surgeons."
Fellowship training as a foundation for
medical excellence
One of the main focuses of the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna (Head: Prof. Christoph Arnoldner) is the excellent training of its physician and students, which is regularly rated among the best at the university.
This is primarily due to the fact that many of the clinic’s attendings have completed internationally accredited one- to two-year clinical fellowship programs at leading institutions in Canada, the USA, Australia and the UK.
In fact, no other ENT clinic in Europe has such a high concentration of fellowship-trained attendings. This not only enhances the quality of training but also ensures that patient care is delivered at the highest international standard across all areas of ENT - otology, rhinology and head and neck surgery.
What our participants said about us
Hear from surgeons and trainees who have trained alongside our faculty — and find out what makes this course different.
"Vienna has a long and distinguished tradition in surgery and anatomy. I am delighted to be part of a course that honours that tradition while bringing the very latest techniques to the next generation of rhinologists."
"Hands-on cadaver training is irreplaceable in surgical education. This course gives participants exactly the kind of focused, supervised practice that makes a real difference at the operating table."
Get to know our faculty
Course Directors
International Faculty
Noel Ayoub
Rajiv Bhalla
Archana Jaiswal
National Faculty
Victoria Plaschke
Alexandros Andrianakis
Patricia Bäck
Thomas Parzefall
Johannes Hochstöger
Watch our lectures on demand
Get a feel for what awaits you in Vienna — surgical demonstrations, hands-on dissection sessions, and expert lectures, all captured on film.
FAQs
Questions about our team, our background, and what drives this course.
Who are the course directors?
David Liu and Faris Brkic are both fellowship-trained rhinologists at the Medical University of Vienna. David completed his fellowship at Stanford University, Faris at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Together they bring international expertise and a deep commitment to hands-on surgical education.
Why did you create this course?
We saw a gap in the region for a course that combines rigorous academic lectures with genuine hands-on cadaver training — all in one place, over two focused days. Vienna, with its rich medical tradition and world-class anatomy facilities, was the natural home for it.
Why Vienna?
Vienna has one of Europe's most distinguished medical histories. The Josephinum and the Institute of Anatomy at the Medical University of Vienna offer a truly unique setting — both historically significant and perfectly equipped for modern surgical education.
Will this course run again in future years?
Yes — our goal is to establish this as an annual event, growing the programme and the faculty with each edition. Participants from the first course will have priority access to future registrations.
