PD Dr. Mathieu Assal specializes in foot and ankle surgery. Internationally recognized orthopaedic and trauma surgeon, he established the Centre ASSAL for Foot Care and Surgery in Geneva in 2012. He and his team of specialists treat acute and chronic disorders of the lower limbs. PD Dr. Mathieu Assal is also well-known for his extensive clinical research contributions, as well as for designing new surgical techniques and developing new surgical approaches that are now used world-wide.
As a surgeon, researcher and educator, Dr. Assal is an advocate for evidence-based medicine. This approach compares clinical experience with the most convincing external data to provide each patient with an optimal outcome. His work is driven by the latest technical developments and outcomes that can be achieved, in his specialty field. Dr. Mathieu Assal also places great emphasis on the transmission of knowledge to young doctors and researchers and to his team through numerous continuing education courses and workshops.
Dr. Assal has a broad range of skills encompassing all types of trauma and injuries to the foot, ankle and lower leg; treatment of deformities, fracture fixation, ankle joint replacement (arthroplasty/prosthesis), and tendon repair, etc. His expertize also includes infections and complications affecting the lower limbs, notably due to diabetes.
After receiving his medical degree from the University of Geneva in 1994, Mathieu Assal decided to focus on lower limb surgery. He completed his specialization in orthopaedics and traumatology in Geneva and obtained SMA certification in Orthopaedic Surgery in 1999. In 2000, his career led him to the United States for two years, where he carried out research on foot and ankle trauma under a Research and Clinical Fellowship at one of America’s leading institutions, the Sigvard T. Hansen Foot & Ankle Institute, at the Harborview Medical Center of the University of Washington in Seattle. Between 2002 and 2012, Mathieu Assal directed the Foot and Ankle Surgery Unit and the Orthopaedic Infections Unit of the Geneva University Hospitals. During this time, he was named Deputy Clinical Director (Associate Professor) and was awarded the distinguished academic title of “Privat-Docent” (PD). In 2012, he was named President of the Swiss Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, a position that he held until 2016.
Achillon : minimally invasive suturing system for the Achilles tendon
Makan : femoral prosthesis for transfemoral amputation cases
PCL-Press : device to measure posterior instability following posterior cruciate ligament tears
Hypralax : device to measure instability of the foot’s medial column.
113 articles
35 book chapters
1 book - "Atlas of surgical approaches to Pilon fractures"
127 scientific posters
300 conferences
Consultant surgeon at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the Vaud University Hospital (CHUV)
Past president and member of the Swiss Foot and Ankle Society (SFAS)
Member of the Swiss Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (SSOT)
Member of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS)
Member of the Swiss Association for Prostheses and Orthoses
Member of the French Society for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery (SOFCOT)
Member of the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT)
Member of the European Foot and Ankle Society (EFAS)
Member of the Swiss Medical Association (FMH)
Member of the Association of Medical Doctors in Geneva
Privat-Docent at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva
Responsible for the AO Trauma Advanced Course and the AO Trauma Europe Masters Course
Director of Advanced Course on Foot and Ankle Surgery (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Course administrator for the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT)
Guest speaker at nearly 300 conferences held in more than 23 countries
Contributor to several peer-reviewed scientific journals: Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, American Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Journal Fuss & Sprunggelenk, European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology
Scientific reviewer: Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma (JOT), OTSR-RCO Orthopaedics and Trauma, European Journal of Orthopaedics Surgery and Traumatology (EJOST)
Member of editorial team for the Journal Fuss & Sprunggelenk
Member of the editorial team for the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma
Member of the editorial team for the European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology