Peter is the founder of VAS-International as well as the founder and director of VASTA, the international executive school for veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia. Being a visionaire, he managed to bring specialist anaesthesia and analgesia expertise to the european market, when nobody wouldn't even think of anaesthesia specialist support in clinics or practices yet (or of tele-radiology for that matter).
With his experience in small animal surgery and his expertise in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia he gradually inserted this new service and has helped many pets, pet owners, veterinarians and research projects over the almost 2 decades since founding.
This is his passion and contributing to making anaesthesia better and bringing the concepts of analgesia into the minds is at the center of everything he does.

After studies at the University of Pisa and Munich, Peter graduated to first work in surgery at the Centro Medico Veterinario of Dott L. Tofanelli in Lido di Camaiore, Italy, where he also completed his Italian doctoral degree. It is also where he discovered his deep interest in anaesthesia and analgesia. He then proceeded to a research post in anaesthesia at the Brigham and Women's Hospital of Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. In continuation of his efforts to learn more he then fulfilled a residency training programme at Cornell University, NY. After that he moved even further west as a lecturer in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia at the University of California in Davis.
Due to family reasons and after spending many years in the U.S.A, he came back to Europe, to fulfil the head-of-service position at the University of Berne.

And that is where Peter realised the potential in supporting pets, owners and veterinarians in private practice and founded the company to better provide meaningful help.

He underwent also a business training program (executive MBA) in order to better guide this new endeavour to a flourishing business. In fact, in 2023 he was rated 3rd place of the global innovative entrepreneurial rating by Entrepreneur Mirror.

Shortly thereafter, he assumed the responsibility for the research anaesthesia at the Musculo Skeletal Research Unit at the University of Zürich, where he still functions as head of anaesthesia.

Only shortly after that he founded VASTA- still today the only internationally operating executive school for veterinarians and nurses in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia- a comprehensive one-year programme with international recognition and success.

Peter has held numerous positions in international professional organisations, as board-of-directors member in the IVAPM, as President of the AVA, as co-founder of the WSAVA's Global Pain council, as founding director of the IVAPM's research and scholarship foundation, as founding board member of the IASP's special interest group in non-human pain and many more. He also functioned as member of the Animal ethical commission of the canton of Berne. He authored several book chapters and numerous scientific publications, he mentored doctoral students, interns and residents, and has given presentations at countless international congresses.

Peter sees what he does as a profession, not a job and literally invests most of his time to this passionate approach to work. He has two grown-up children and lives in a happy relationship with his partner, dogs, and horses. His hobbies are sports and reconstructing old houses.

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