| Born and grew up in Pieterlen near Bern, Switzerland | |
| Apprenticeship as a mechanic in Bern | |
| 1973 | Gymnasium (academic secondary school) and school-leaving exams in Bern |
| 1973–1979 | Medical studies and qualification as a medical practitioner |
| 1982 | Dissertation and PhD as a doctor of medicine |
| 1980–1985 | Residency at the Zieglerspital hospital (Bern) and at the Universitäts-Inselspital hospital (Bern) |
| 1985 | Member of the FMH Association (surgery) |
| 1985–1986 | Consultant at the Clinic for Visceral Surgery at the Universitäts-Inselspital hospital (Bern) |
| 1986–1987 | Fellow of Liver and Transplant Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, USA |
| 1988–1992 | Representative of the clinic director at the Clinic for Visceral and Transplant Surgery at the Freie Universität Berlin [Free University of Berlin] |
| since 1989 | Habilitation and qualification as a university lecturer [Privatdozent] |
| 1992 | Return to Bern as a private surgeon |
| since 1992 | Set-up of a team for visceral surgery at the Klinik Beau-Site in Bern |
| since 2012 | Founded the Centre for Bariatric Surgery |
| Lives in Bern, married with four children |
