Dear colleagues and friends,
It is a great honor and pleasure for me to invite you to the 1st Freiburg Facial Paralysis Instructional Course which will be held from the 15th to the 16th of October 2026. The course is designed for surgeons with an interest in advanced reconstruction of facial paralysis.
The Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery has a tremendous expertise in the treatment of facial paralysis and has developed unique treatment algorithms that will be presented in this course. An international panel of experts will present their very own approaches and different treatment strategies, so that we will expect a lively discussion.
The highlight of the course will be a program of live operations that will reflect the broad field of facial reanimation surgery ranging from procedures for the forehead and eye region to complex dynamic muscle transfers in pediatric and adult patients and secondary touch up procedures, to treatment concepts for the lower face. The live operations will be moderated by experts and discussed with the operating surgeons by the panel. Lectures held by our international experts will complete this unique training experience and will provide you with a toolbox of surgical options.
Our course will not only be an exchange of knowledge but also an opportunity for networking and future collaboration in the beautiful and historic University city of Freiburg, the capital of the Black Forest.
We look forward to welcoming you in Freiburg in October 2026.
Prof. S. Eisenhardt & Dr. J. Weiß
Faculty
Steffen U. Eisenhardt, MD, Full Professor and Chairman Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery University of Freiburg Medical Center
Nate Jowett, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Juri Kiefer, MD, Attending surgeon at Orlando Health Cancer Institute, USA
Shai Rozen, MD, Professor and Vice Chair Department of Plastic Surgery and Director of the Facial Reanimation Program at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Andres Rodriguez, MD, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery at Upsala University Hosital in Upsala, Sweden.
Stefania Tuinder, MD, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Maastricht University Hospital, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Jakob Weiss, MD, Attending Surgeon Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery University of Freiburg Medical Center
Program
Thursday, October 15th 2026 – Scientific Program (Lectures and live surgery)
07.00 am | Registration
07:30 – 07:45 am | Welcome and Introduction Cases of the Day | Steffen U. Eisenhardt
07:45 – 08:00 am | Facial Nerve Anatomy, Facial Paralysis Causes and Prognosis | Andreas Kehrer
08:00 – 08:15 am | Facial Palsy Grading and Documentation / Facial Nerve Electric Stimulation and Rehabilitation | Fabian Volk
08:15 – 08:30 am | The Freiburg Concept | Jurij Kiefer
08:30 am – 04:30 pm | Live Surgeries interspersed with lectures
Est. 10.30 – 11.00 am | Facial Reinnervation – Timing and Strategies | Andres Rodriguez
Est 01.00 – 01.30 pm | Free functional gracilis transfer (incl. pro tips/dos and don’ts) | Shai Rozen
Est 01.00 – 01.30 pm | Local dynamic procedures | Ulrich Rieger
05.00 – 05.30 pm | Q&A
Breaks:
estimated 10:00 – 10:30 am | Coffee break
estimated 12.00 am – 01.00 pm | Lunch break
estimated 03.00 – 03.30 pm | Coffee break
07:15 pm | Conference Dinner at La Mucca
Friday, October 16th 2026 – Scientific Program (Lectures and live surgery)
07:30 – 07:45 am | Introduction Cases of the Day | Steffen U. Eisenhardt
07:45 – 08:00 am | Synkinesia (incl. Botox pro tips) | Stefania Tuinder
08:00 – 08:15 am | Procedures for the Eye in Facial Paralysis (incl. Corneal Neurotization) | Nate Jowett
08:15 – 08:30 am | Immediate Reconstruction in Cancer Cases | Andres Rodriguez
08:30 am – 03:30 pm | Live Surgeries interspersed with lectures
Est. 10.30 – 11.00 am | Incomplete Facial Paralysis – Considerations for Reconstructive Procedures | Shai Rozen
Est 01.00 – 01.30 pm | Touch-up Procedures | Andres Rodriguez
04.00 – 04.30 pm | Q&A and Farewell
Breaks:
estimated 10:00 – 10:30 am | Coffee break
estimated 12.00 am – 01.00 pm | Lunch break
estimated 03.00 – 03.30 pm | Coffee break
Registration
Participation fee:
€850
Includes:
- Course attendance
- Lunch
- Coffee breaks
Optional:
Conference Dinner - €55 per person
Sponsors
We thank the following companies for their supportDisclosure of sponsorship
bess medizintechnik gmbh - 2.000€**
Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH - 400€***
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geräte GmbH - 3.000€*
TapMed Medizintechnik Handels GmbH - 500€***
* 6 sqm Information booth & Sponsor acknowledgement (programme and website)
** 4 sqm Information booth & Sponsor acknowledgement (programme and website)
***Sponsor acknowledgement (programme and website)
Contact Information
Scientific Committee
Prof. Dr. Steffen U. Eisenhardt
Medical Director
Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery
Medical Center University of Freiburg
Organization
Medical Center – University of Freiburg
Department of Communications
veranstaltung@uniklinik-freiburg.de
+49 761 270-19210