PASCAL ZINN > Assistant Professor
Associate Director, Adult Neurosurgical Oncology & Director, Molecular Tumor Biology and Personalized Precision Therapy Lab
FROM | Wetzikon, ZH.
WORK | Neurosurgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
HOBBIES | Ski, snowboarding, BBQ, and the human brain.
RECENT BOOK | Endurance: Shackleton’s incredible voyage by Nathaniel Philbrick.
FAVORITE FOOD FROM SWITZERLAND | Roeschti mit Gschnaetzletem Rindfleisch.
FAVORITE SPOT IN SWITZERLAND | Greina Hochebene | The Greina is a high mountain pass across the western Lepontine Alps, connecting Sumvitg in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland and Olivone in the canton of Ticino.
How did you get started, specifically what drew you to neurosurgical oncology?
Early on as a teenager, I was fascinated by the human brain and how the brain could bring forward consciousness. And particularly, if a brain injury was present, what deficit would occur. These interests got mainly sparked by reading the very intriguing case stories by Oliver Sacks (e.g. The man who mistook his wife for a hat), Antonio Damasio (e.g. Descartes’ Error), and Alexander Luria (e.g. The mind of a mnemonist) among others. Later on in medical school, during my Ph.D. candidacy, and residency training, I developed a tremendous interest in genetics and molecular biology and this led me to investigate the origins of and novel cancer therapies. The two interests intersected at brain cancer.
What was the biggest obstacle in your career and how did you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle is and has been to maintain balance in terms of academic and surgical work, and physical activity. For me, physical exercise is the key to sharpen my brain to then focus on specific mental tasks more efficiently. Getting busy with work can decrease the time I have to exercise which decreases focus and balance. Achieving this balance has perhaps been a rather easily identifiable, but quite challenging obstacle at times.
What has surprised you most working in your field?
Great question! Among the very many surprising daily facts a brain surgeon encounters, one stands out particularly. It is the fact that the brain has very few eloquent or vital spots that are no going zones for performing surgery on. If one or several of those very important brain regions are injured during surgery one would risk paralyzing the patient or taking away the ability to speak and/or understand speech. The fact that there are only a few focal spots where no surgery can be performed is surprising, but perhaps even more surprising is that the brain has not evolved to date to be more redundant in providing backup neuronal networks for specific muscle groups like hand and tongue movement, and speech comprehension. Surprisingly, mini-strokes (insults to tiny blood vessels) in those very small and specific areas could lead to a debilitating neurological deficit with little chance for recovery at times.
Why did you choose Pittsburgh?
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Department of Neurosurgery is, by patient volume, the largest neurosurgical department in the United States, and a truly fascinating combination of an outstanding University system and powerhouse medical center. In addition, Carnegie Mellon University is an excellent resource for high yield collaborations in this very technical field of neurosurgery and brain cancer research. Pittsburgh is a truly likable place, great to raise children, explore the countryside, skiing, and support the Steelers (Football team in Pittsburgh) of course!
What do you think is the most important quality to have as the principal investigator of a molecular biology laboratory?
Profound scientific interest, motivation, drive, focus, caring about making people successful, being a great ‘CEO’ (not losing focus on the business aspects), strategy, and secret masterplans.
Did Covid-19 impact your work?
Covid slowed our clinical practice a bit, but most of the operations I perform are not truly elective and continued to some degree despite Covid. We had to close the lab for some time and then carefully reopened under strict precautions with lab members wearing the right personal protective equipment. UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh handled and are handling this crisis well though and I felt that we were greatly supported in continuing our work safely and soundly. Neurosurgery is quite high-stakes and we often deal with life-threatening insults to the brain, be it tumors or blood clots. The show must go on.
Does the same line of work vary in the US compared to Switzerland?
I think the work and entire medical system varies quite a bit across those two countries and perhaps shares more similarities as well than at first apparent. After starting my neurosurgery training in Switzerland, I quickly came to the realization that there was a lack of structure, lack of caseload, and most importantly a lack of a tightly organized residency training system that ensured covering all aspects of training in order to become a fully and broadly trained neurosurgeon right after graduating. This and the science opportunities made me take this leap of faith trying to change systems. However, I think that neurosurgeons going through the Swiss training system end up being excellently trained after gaining perhaps some additional experience in a more supervised early faculty track. There are many ways to become a successful neurosurgeon and I am truly impressed by how gifted my Swiss neurosurgery colleagues are. It would be a true honor to return to Switzerland at some point and contribute, to shape the next generation of neurosurgeons and neurosurgical scientists.
Do you have any advice for students starting out?
Exercise, focus, be passionate, and as Steve Jobs had mentioned in his Stanford address in 2005: “Stay hungry, stay foolish!”
What do you miss most about Switzerland?
I really miss my family and friends in Switzerland. At the end of the day, I don’t miss nature, the punctual public transportation, nor the cleanliness. I do miss my family and my dearest old friends that I still regularly stay in touch with.
To find out more about Pascal Zinn, please visit:
University of Pittsburgh | School of Medicine Neurological Surgery
Email | zinnpo@upmc.edu