Claudio Bassetti was born and raised in Ticino (Switzerland), is married and father of three boys. He received his MD degree from the University of Basel in 1984. He trained in neurology in Bern and Lausanne and performed research fellowships in basic neurophysiology (Basel) and sleep medicine (Ann Arbor, USA). In 2000 he was appointed professor of neurology at the University of Zurich. In 2009 he founded the Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, which he directed for 3 years. Since 2012 he is full professor of neurology at the University of Bern and director of the neurology department at Inselspital. Bassetti authored over 400 scientific publications and eight books. He currently serves as president of the European Academy of Neurology and as the Dean of the Medical Faculty in Bern.