THE PEZZ TEAM

We aim to understand as many subfields as possible and have experts in all relevant disciplines on our team. What drives us? Being able to make a difference for our patients and their families.

A private practice with its own research institute – around twelve staff members specialized in growth medicine.

SPECIALIZED IN GROWTH

Professor Dr. med. Urs Eiholzer

Medical Specialist FMH in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Specialized in growth, hormonal disorders, and diabetes
Psychosomatic Medicine APPM
Founder of PEZZ and overall director

After completing his medical studies, Urs Eiholzer obtained his doctorate under Prof. Hanspeter Rohr at the University of Basel. He completed further training in general pediatrics in Lucerne, Zurich and especially in Lausanne with Prof. Emile Gautier, as well as in pediatric endocrinology with Prof. Andrea Prader and Prof. Milo Zachmann in Zurich.

Today, Urs Eiholzer leads the Pediatric Endocrinology Center Zurich (PEZZ), which he founded in 1987 and has since developed into a leading Swiss institute in pediatric endocrinology. The largely privately funded research department of PEZZ pursues the goal that research results should positively influence the quality of life of the people being studied. In 2002, Urs Eiholzer received the Venia legendi and in 2009 he was appointed adjunct professor at the University of Zurich. His clinical research focuses on questions concerning growth, puberty, body composition, as well as bio-psycho-social relationships.

In addition to intensive work on the Prader-Willi syndrome, his interest focuses on growth and the regulation of physical activity in children and adolescents.

Urs Eiholzer is the author of numerous scientific publications and articles. Several of his books are also aimed directly at patients and their families and caregivers. Two of his publications have been recognized by the British Medical Association.

Professor Dr. Dr. med. Kees Noordam

Medical Specialist FMH in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Specialized in growth, hormonal disorders, and diabetes

Prof. Dr. phil. Dr. med. Kees Noordam has been working at PEZZ since July 2020. He is part of our medical team and supervises patients as well as scientific projects. As a physician, he sought a new challenge after his three children had grown up and so moved to Zurich together with his wife.

Kees Noordam comes from the Netherlands, where until 2020 he was the medical director and chief physician of the Amalia Children’s Hospital in Nijmegen and head of its department of endocrinology and diabetology. With more than 30 years of experience as a pediatrician and pediatric endocrinologist, he has an outstanding international reputation and is skilled in the evaluation of growth and hormone disorders. His scientific publications cover the entire field of pediatric endocrinology. He has conducted research on topics such as short stature, type 1 diabetes, growth hormone treatment, sex hormone replacement, bone density, psychosocial behavior, and more. Further focus areas of his work include SGA (Small for Gestational Age / growth restriction), as well as Prader-Willi syndrome and Noonan syndrome. In the Netherlands, Prof. Kees Noordam established, among other things, the Pediatric Diabetes Center in Nijmegen, which currently cares for over 350 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Kees Noordam is co-founder and long-time advisor of the Dutch patient association “Stiftung Noonan Syndroom” and will now also advocate for this rare disease in Switzerland.

Dr. med. Claudia Katschnig

Medical Specialist FMH in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Specialized in growth, hormonal disorders, and diabetes

Dr. med. Claudia Katschnig is an experienced specialist in pediatrics with a focus on pediatric endocrinology and diabetology and has been working in Switzerland since 2008.

She combines solid medical knowledge with an impressive range of practical experience.

Claudia Katschnig completed her medical studies at the Medical University of Graz, where she also earned her doctorate. She began her professional career in Switzerland as an assistant physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Acute Hospital Herisau. She started her specialist training in pediatrics in 2008 at the pediatric department of the Cantonal Hospital Winterthur and continued it from 2012 at the Children’s Hospital Zurich, where she completed her training. During her time at the Children’s Hospital Zurich, she gained extensive experience in all areas of pediatrics, including the demanding fields of emergency medicine, intensive care, and neonatology.

In 2015, Dr. Katschnig began her specialization in pediatric endocrinology and diabetology and obtained the subspecialty title in pediatric endocrinology in 2017. Since then, she has been working at PEZZ, where she uses her expertise and dedication to support families with questions regarding growth and hormone disorders.

Her clinical focuses include:

Stunted growth and growth hormone treatments
Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Sex hormone substitution therapy
Thyroid disorders
Bone density and body composition
Sports medicine-related issues

A special focus of her work is on rare syndromes such as the Prader-Willi syndrome, as well as the care of children born small for gestational age (SGA).

PD Dr. med. Ilja Dubinski

Medical Specialist FMH in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Specialized in growth, hormonal disorders, and diabetes

Dr. med. Ilja Dubinski brings impressive expertise in pediatric endocrinology and diabetology, which he practices with great passion and dedication.

His career most recently took him to the University Children’s Hospital of LMU Munich as senior physician, before he joined PEZZ in 2023.

Dr. Dubinski completed his medical studies at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. Early on, he showed a strong interest in scientific research and earned his doctorate at the Institute for Experimental Tumor Research in Pediatrics at the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer.

He completed his specialist training in pediatrics at the Children’s Clinic and Outpatient Department of the Dr. von Haunersches Children’s Hospital of Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich. During this time, he gained extensive experience in various medical disciplines and expanded his knowledge through training in emergency medicine.

He began his specialization in pediatric endocrinology and diabetology concurrently and successfully completed it at the Bavarian State Medical Association. Subsequently, he took on the role of senior attending physician at the University Children’s Hospital of LMU Munich, where he was responsible for managing complex cases in his field.

Since 2023, Dr. Dubinski has been working full-time at PEZZ. There, he supports families with questions regarding growth and hormone disorders with professional expertise and a holistic approach. He is particularly committed to the interplay between physical health and psychosocial well-being. For this reason, he also obtained qualification in Germany for psychosomatic primary care of children and adolescents.

His clinical focuses include:

Growth Disorders
Thyroid disorders
Obesity and pubertal development
Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Adrenal hormone disorders
Pituitary gland disorders

Dr. Dubinski has also made scientifically significant contributions, particularly in the field of adrenogenital syndrome in children and adolescents, for which he has been awarded several scientific prizes.

With his wide-ranging experience, scientific commitment and strong patient focus, Dr. Dubinski is a valuable addition to the PEZZ team and a competent contact person for complex issues in the field of paediatric and adolescent endocrinology.

Dr. med. Aikaterini Stasinaki

Medical Specialist FMH in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Specialized in growth, hormonal disorders, and diabetes

Dr. med. Aikaterini Stasinaki hat ihr Medizinstudium in Griechenland abgeschlossen. Bereits 2010 führte sie ihr beruflicher Weg in die Schweiz, wo sie als Assistenzärztin für Innere Medizin an der Luzerner

Höhenklinik Montana in Crans Montana (VS) begann. Ihre Leidenschaft für die Kinder- und Jugendmedizin entdeckte sie bald und begann 2011 ihre

Facharztausbildung in der Pädiatrie am Kantonsspital Winterthur. Ab 2013 vertiefte sie ihre Expertise am Ostschweizer Kinderspital St. Gallen,

wo sie ihre Facharztausbildung abschloss.

Ab 2016 übernahm Dr. Stasinaki als Oberärztin im Ostschweizer Kinderspital Verantwortung. Dort arbeitete sie sowohl auf der allgemeinpädiatrischen Station als auch auf der Kindernotfallstation und erweiterte ihre Erfahrung in der Behandlung komplexer medizinischer Fälle. Im Jahr 2021

hat sie ihre Zusatzausbildung für den Schwerpunkt "pädiatrische Endokrinologie/Diabetologie" abgeschlossen.

2022 promovierte Dr. Stasinaki an der Universität Zürich. Ihre Dissertation, eine randomisierte kontrollierte Studie über innovative digitale Gesundheitsinterventionen für Adipositas, entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit der ETH Zürich.

Seit Ende 2024 ergänzt Aikaterini Stasinaki mit ihrem umfassenden Wissen und ihrer empathischen Art das Ärzteteam im PEZZ.

Sie begleitet Familien mit großem Fachwissen bei Fragen zu Wachstum, Pubertät und hormonellen Störungen.

Ihre Schwerpunkte umfassen:

Growth disorders and growth hormone treatments
Precocious or delayed puberty
Thyroid and adrenal hormone disorders
Disorders of pituitary function
Bone disorders
Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Obesity

Privately, Dr. Aikaterini Stasinaki lives with her husband and three children in Winterthur

Christiane Fritz

Management

Gina Pappenheim

MPA Medizinische Praxisassistentin

Vivien Hablützel

Certified Nurse HF, Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (KJFF)
Medical Practice Assistant (MPA)

Carla López Tépox

Administrative Assistant

Anika Stephan

Research Associate

Rolf Dinkelmann

IT-Specialist

Corina Zanetti

External Back Office Assistant

OUR COMMITMENT

MULTIPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE – A MISSION STATEMENT FROM PEZZ BY URS EIHOLZER

Since I began working in medicine, I have been driven by the question of how knowledge and experience can be shared and multiplied so that many patients can benefit from the insights of a single individual.

Ich bin überzeugt: Erfahrung lässt sich am besten zwischen Menschen weitergeben, die einander nahestehen und vertrauen. Konkurrenz und Rivalität erschweren einen offenen Austausch. Wer sein Wissen teilt, gibt ein Stück seiner Exklusivität auf. Wer von der Erfahrung eines anderen profitieren möchte, muss seinerseits anerkennen können, dass er auf Unterstützung angewiesen ist, um selbst Meisterschaft zu erlangen.

Neben Vertrauen braucht es deshalb auch gegenseitige Dankbarkeit: Dankbarkeit dafür, Wissen und Erfahrung weitergeben zu dürfen – und Dankbarkeit dafür, sie von einem anderen Menschen empfangen zu können.

GIVE GRATEFULLY, RECEIVE GRATEFULLY

Ich habe während 35 Jahren fast alles gesehen, was die pädiatrische Endokrinologie zu bieten hat. Ich hatte sogar das Glück, die ersten Erfahrungen ganz nahe angeleitet zusammen mit den Mitbegründern der pädiatrischen Endokrinologie, Andrea Prader und Milo Zachmann, machen zu können. Dazu kommt, dass ich immer viele Patienten selbst gesehen habe und damit auch von deren Erfahrungen lernen durfte. Das meiste, was ich über das Prader-Willi Syndrom sowie andere seltene und weniger seltene Krankheiten weiss, verdanke ich den Betroffenen, ihren Eltern und Betreuern. Hätte ich nur via Assistenz- oder Oberärzte mit ihnen kommuniziert, hätte ich viele Erkenntnisse nicht gehabt. Sie sind in viele wissenschaftliche Projekte mit wiederum neuen Erfahrungen geflossen.

FOR EXAMPLE, BEDWETTING

The question of whether and how experiences can be passed on first arose for me in the early 1990s when treating children with bedwetting. The delayed attainment of nighttime dryness is usually an isolated developmental disorder. I had observed that the children themselves could accelerate this developmental process. To help them, I had to master three skills:

I had to communicate with my patients in an age-appropriate manner.
I had to convince my patients that I was right, even when they experienced a new negative outcome every night.
I had to motivate my patients to want to fight against bedwetting.

All of this is only possible with a great deal of knowledge, experience, and energy—you must have encountered everything that can happen many times with other patients. The child must be able to recognize and rely on the expert at all times—a central part of the motivational work. This cannot be done with measured effort. The therapist needs all their strength to convince the child. I never gave up on any child—and most of the children didn’t give up either. And so, many stopped wetting their bed.

Then I wrote a small book on bedwetting with the goal of making my knowledge and experience beneficial to as many children suffering fro, bedwetting and their physicians as possible. I struggled with the question: how can one describe and convey inner attitude, commitment, closeness, and the “sixth sense” that comes with extensive experience? It is also crucial how affected children and their parents perceive you: not as a theoretician or spectator, but as a true fellow fighter and participant. It is no longer about tricks and rules, but about hope and motivation. Through this process, I realized how limited books are in transmitting experience.

AT EYE LEVEL WITH OUR PATIENTS

Ganz zentral ist bei allem der kompetente Umgang mit Eltern und Kindern. Klare Ansagen, wa auf sie zukommen wird, und wie wahrscheinlich ein bestimmtes Szenarium ist, nicht nur worst case Szenarien. Keine Voraussagen, um zu zeigen, dass man alles weiss, kein Herunterspielen von Symptomen, aber auch keine blinde Übernahme der Sichtweise der Eltern, kein nach dem Maul reden, um sich anzudienen. Einfach mit den Leuten umgehen, wie man das in der eignen Familie auch tun würde – auf Augenhöhe.

SHARE À LA PEZZ

How can all of this be passed on? Just as Andrea Prader and Milo Zachmann did with me—only much, much more intensively and over a longer period. This is how we do it at PEZZ: The director of PEZZ is involved in every consultation. For routine check-ups, sometimes a quick look at the data and charts is sufficient. For new patients and all complex situations, the director usually participates in the consultation. According to the needs of the parents and the case, consultations therefore take place for a shorter or longer period with two of us present.

This concept is intended to ensure that every patient benefits from the best available knowledge and corresponding experience in the house. It provides parents with additional reassurance and allows the younger physicians to gain experience in concrete situations and learn from the more experienced—over the course of years, until they have encountered most conceivable disorders and situations multiple times in this way. (It should be noted that the “younger” physicians referred to here are already very experienced, fully trained, and certified specialists in pediatric endocrinology.)

We invest significantly in this special and extensive form of knowledge and experience transfer. Except for justified exceptions, only the service of one physician is billed. The commitment to the transfer and multiplication of knowledge and experience seamlessly continues my previous 30-year dedication to Prader-Willi syndrome and my equally long work in the continuing education of pediatricians.

GROWTH

PUBERTY

HORMONAL DISORDERS

SYNDROMES