Isabelle Schmitt-Opitz

Isabelle Schmitt-Opitz is a Full Professor of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Zurich and Director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at University Hospital Zurich (USZ). She also serves as Head of the Lung and Thoracic Oncology Center at the Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich, represents the Lung Transplant Center, and leads the Thoracic Surgical Research Laboratory at USZ.

• Research Focus: Malignant pleural mesothelioma, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), robotic surgery, extended oncological resections, and pulmonary endarterectomy.
• Leadership Roles: President of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) since 2022, International Director of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), and member of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) National Research Council.

Publications & Guidelines: Co-authored major guidelines on malignant pleural mesothelioma (ESMO, ERS/ESTS) and contributed to TNM classification revisions for lung cancer. Her work emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches to thoracic oncology and surgical innovation.