The Viking Lecture

The Scandinavian Vikings are famous for their long travels more than a thousand years ago. In their long wooden sailboats they traveled as far as Miklagard (Istanbul), Vinland (Newfoundland) and Serkland (Mesopotamia). Curiosity, grit and collaboration made these long journeys possible, and allowed them to bring new technology and know-how back home.  

Every year we invite a prominent international neurosurgeon to give the celebrated Viking lecture. The lecture may include everything from a journey through time, back to the beginning of neurosurgery and its dissemination within medicine, to the innovation of cutting-edge surgical methods, wishes of the future as well as current research.

The community and connections developed during the week in Beitostølen are unique, and the fact that the Viking lecturer often allocates the entire week for the course provides ample opportunity for the participants to involve him/her in discussions, questions, networking and potential future collaborations.


We are proud that these distinguished neurosurgeons have honoured us with their presence in previous years:

2024 Michael Taylor, Houston Texas
- The changing role of the neurosurgeon in the management of pediatric
   posterior fossa tumors

2023  Claudius Thomé, Innsbruck
- Optimizing approaches to the spine - development and the future  

2021 Andrew Maas, Antwerpen - Biomarkers in TBI  

2019 Sepideh Amin-Hanjani, Chicago
Revascularization surgery - status, indications and technique

2018 Andres Lozano, Toronto
Current and emerging indications of Deep Brain Stimulation

2017 Randall Chesnut, Washington
The Evidence for ICP Measurement

2016 Iver Langmoen, Oslo
Glioblastoma Stem Cells - from bench to Clinic

2015 Peter Vajkoczy, Berlin
Combining clinic and basic science, examplified with our work on
Moyamoya Disease

2014 Michael Link, Mayo Clinic
Rehabilitation of cranial nerve injuries after skull base surgery

2013 Peter Hutchinson, Cambridge
Rescuing the injured brain

2012 Hugues Duffau, Montpellier
Hodotopy, a new concept in surgery for low-grade gliomas

2011 Juha Hernesniemi, Helsinki
Life and training in neurosurgery

2010 Johannes Schramm, Bonn
Micro-neurosurgery for mesial temporal tumors

2009 John Pickard, Cambridge
Altered states of consciouness following neurotrauma

2008 Nicolas de Tribolet, Geneve
From the operating theater to the lab bench