Professor Lüscher studied medicine at the University of Zurich and obtained a board certification in internal medicine as well as cardiology. He trained in cardiovascular research as well as in echocardiography at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, USA and was later Professor of Pharmacotherapy at the University of Basel, then Professor of Cardiology at the University of Berne, before assuming his current position as Professor and Chairman of Cardiology at the University Hospital Zurich and Director of the Center for Molecular Cardiology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Since 2014, he is also directs the newly founded University Heart Center at his institution together with his surgical collegue Prof. Francesco Maisano.
In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Professor Lüscher is an active general and interventional cardiologist. His research interests focus on the role of endothelium-derived mediators in the regulation of vascular tone, platelet-vessel wall interactions, and coagulation as well as vascular structure in aging, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis. The mission of his clinical research is the translation of basic research to humans, in particular in patients with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, inflammatory conditions, acute coronary syndromes, and heart failure.
Professor Lüscher has published extensively, authoring or co-authoring over 500 original research articles and over 200 review articles, bookchapters and monographs including the ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. By the Institute for Scientific Information he has been rated as one of the 0.5% most cited scientists worldwide. He has obtained numerous research prizes and prestigious lecturerships. He is a member of many editorial boards and was Associate Editor Europe of Circulation from 2004 to 2008. Since 2009 he is chairman of the publications committee of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and an ex-officio member of the ESC board as well as editor-in-chief of the European Heart Journal