Interviewee: Prof. Christian Matula
Interviewer: Stefana-Andrada Dobran
Prof. Christian Matula
Dr. Christian Matula is Professor and Vice-Chairman of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, Director of its Skull Base Division, Head of Neurotrauma and Chairman of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience. Moreover, Prof. Matula holds the title of Chairman of the Educational & Training Committee for the Academy for Multidisciplinary Neurotraumatology and is the the Founder, Vice President, and Member of the Foundation Board of GLOBAL NEURO, an independent foundation aiming to improve quality of life for patients with neurosurgical disorders.
An internationally recognized expert in skull base surgery, neuroendoscopy, and neurotrauma, he has held leading positions in several international neurosurgical organizations, including serving as President of the International Neurotrauma Research Organization (INRO) and is the Medical Director of two private health care centers in Austria.
With over 350 publications, more than 1,000 invited lectures, over 150 workshops and courses organized worldwide, and decades of experience in surgical innovation, education, and training, Prof. Christian Matula has made significant contributions to advancing neurosurgery worldwide.
Interview Highlights
During our interview, Professor Christian Matula addressed:
- The essential role of the AMN Congress in strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration and fostering meaningful exchange among neurotrauma specialists worldwide.
- The success of the Neurotrauma Training Simulation Center (NTSC) and the expansion of hands-on training courses to countries such as Thailand and Vietnam.
- His commitment to developing innovative educational initiatives and ensuring effective neurotrauma training across different countries.
- The future of AMN education, including the planned Train-the-Trainer program to prepare the next generation of mentors and educators, and the growing potential of AMN visiting programs for international medical observers.
Full Interview
S.D.: Dear Professor Christian Matula, welcome to the 23rd AMN Congress. What does the 23rd AMN Congress contribute to strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration in neurotrauma research and care?
C.M.: The 23rd AMN Congress has shown and proven that it plays a very important role in contributing to multidisciplinarity. For me, it was once again a great opportunity to meet colleagues from different disciplines and institutions and have very intensive and fruitful conversations. So, to come back to your question, the AMN Congress plays a significant role in strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration.
S.D.: As a neurosurgeon and Chairman of the Education and Training Committee within the AMN, how do you see your role in shaping the next generation of neurotrauma specialists?
C.M.: This is a very good question because we always try to be innovative. We always try to focus on what is in front of us. In my position as the Chairman of the Educational and Training Committee, my role is to ensure really efficient and fruitful education and training–not only in individual countries, but also internationally.
What does this mean? As you know, we had the Neurotrauma Training Simulation Center (NTSC), which was an unbelievable, successful project we started in Vienna. Now they have expanded it to other countries, which was absolutely a success. We have organized courses in Bangkok and Vietnam, and we are planning to bring them to different nations. I am very proud of that.
On the other hand, we have written a number of publications. There are now many publications discussing these projects, presenting the situations they already have. We are very excited to see, five years from now, what impact we have really had and whether we achieved the goals we set.
S.D.: At the personal level, what future educational developments do you envision potentially contributing to the vision and mission of the AMN?
C.M.: I think we have to concentrate on our training courses, our neurotrauma courses, and what we will do. We will continue to bring these courses to different countries. We have become a much bigger family now. I am absolutely blown away that we had around one thousand participants at this Congress. Congratulations! This is a really good number.
This also means that we have to concentrate on what we are doing. One of my next programs as the Chairman of the Education and Training Committee is to establish a Train-the-trainer program. In the future, we will have an AMN Train-the-Trainer program, where we prepare the next generation of mentors and trainers. We will mentor and teach them the philosophy of the AMN.
What has also been very successful is the AMN visiting programs we have already started. Through this program, people from different countries can join us as medical observers. This is something where I see a very high potential for the future.
The 23rd AMN Congress
The 23rd AMN Congress, held from May 28–30 in Istanbul, Türkiye, brought together world-renowned experts in neurotraumatology to explore the latest advances in neurotrauma research, clinical management, and multidisciplinary rehabilitation strategies. The comprehensive scientific program covered a wide range of topics, including modern neuroscience approaches to neurotrauma, acute management and critical care, diffuse axonal injury, surgical brain injury, neuropsychiatric sequelae, and ongoing research in traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Congress also featured interactive panel discussions on polytrauma and neurotrauma, as well as thought-provoking debates on “High-Tech Neurotrauma Care vs. Robust Pathway Basics” and “Early Rehabilitation: A Luxury or a Necessity in Neurotrauma Pathways?” Special sessions highlighted the activities of the AMN Focus Groups and the Young Neurotrauma Network, fostering scientific exchange, multidisciplinary collaboration, and engagement among the next generation of neurotrauma specialists.
You can find out more information about the 23rd AMN Congress at: https://brain-amn.org/event/23rd-amn-congress-2026/
We invite you to browse our interview category: https://brain-amn.org/category/interviews/. You will find a cluster of informative discussions with different specialists in neurotrauma.
Learn how the AMN is setting new international standards in neurotrauma care and driving innovation in multidisciplinary neurotrauma care worldwide!
