Team - foxstudy

Our experts

Pernille Thomsen, PT

Pernille Thomsen, PT

Pernille works with "Seahorse Training" in her private practice in Denmark to help children with various diagnoses to strengthen their mental health. Since 2009, her focus has been on the neurophysiology of an overstressed nervous system from a physiotherapy perspective. Through evidence-based research, she has studied the effects of anxiety, stress, depression, ADHD and autism - with a particular focus on children and adolescents. In addition to her work, Pernille is involved as a coach for people with developmental disabilities and the Special Olympics Denmark women's national team. With exercise, fun and social connections, she creates the basis for health and well-being.

Franziska Spreitler, MSc. PT

Franziska is Head of Therapies and a member of the Clinic Management of Children's Rehab Switzerland at the University Children's Hospital Zurich. She completed a Master of Science in Neurorehabilitation Research at the Danube University in Krems and has a CAS in Leadership and Management as well as a CAS in Business Administration in Social and Health Care. She has been managing the goal-setting process in the context of rehabilitation within the clinic for years and has given several lectures on SMART goal setting.

Thomas Schick, MSc. PT

Thomas Schick is a physiotherapist, has a Master of Science in Neurorehabilitation and teaches Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) at several universities and training institutes. Thomas is also head of the STIWELL division at MED-EL Innsbruck and is now also your teacher at foxstudy.

Janne Säkkinen, PT

Janne Säkkinen, PT

Janne Säkkinen is a passionate physical therapist. His focus is on promoting physical performance and functional well-being—particularly in the workplace. Since 2010, he has been actively involved in occupational physical therapy and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. He currently works at Terveystalo in both traditional and digital occupational health services. His core expertise lies in Orthopedic Manual Therapy (OMT), ergonomics, and evidence-based physical therapy. Over the years, he has specialized in treating complex musculoskeletal issues and helping people achieve sustainable physical performance in their daily lives and careers. Whether it’s dentists with chronic neck pain or office workers with stiff lower backs—he is driven by the challenge of finding practical and tailored solutions.

Myrtha Nussbaumer, MSc, Physical Therapist

Myrtha Nussbaumer, MSc, Physical Therapist

Myrtha Nussbaumer is a physical therapist with an MSc in Sports Physical Therapy and a coach specializing in vestibular vertigo therapy, neuro-focused training, and concussion management. She combines neuroscientific principles with practical, everyday rehabilitation and loves helping people reduce pain, build resilience, and better manage their daily lives. In addition to her work in youth competitive sports, she is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and providing personalized coaching for complex rehabilitation processes.

Sue Santschi

Sue Santschi

Sue Santschi is a certified orthoptist. After completing her orthoptics training at the Lucerne Eye Clinic and the German-Swiss School of Orthoptics in St. Gallen, she worked at several ophthalmology practices in Central Switzerland; since 2019, she has been with Pilatus Ophthalmologists in Lucerne. In 2008, she completed a specialized training program in low vision orthoptics.

Kevin Wingeier, Dr. phil.

Kevin Wingeier, Dr. phil.

Dr. phil. Kevin Wingeier is a clinical neuropsychologist and works at the University Children's Hospital Zurich and in a practice on the Zürichberg. He is an expert in neuropsychological therapies for cognitive impairments, learning coaching and support and therapy for partial school performance disorders (reading / spelling / arithmetic). He also regularly gives talks to specialists and parents. In the "Executive Functions" course, he shows what needs to be considered in therapy and what the current state of science is.

Nora Kern, MSc. PT

Nora Kern, MSc. PT

For more than 20 years, Nora's goal has been to integrate the existing knowledge and known tests and techniques of neurodynamics into neurorehabilitation. Peripheral nerves are structures that should be assessed and, if necessary, treated alongside muscles, joints and scars, with different emphases depending on the occupational group: they are also part of the nervous system! Dysfunction of peripheral nerves can have a massive impact on rehabilitation.

Reinald Brunner, Prof. Dr. med.

Reinald Brunner, Prof. Dr. med.

Prof. Dr. med. Reinald Brunner was head of neuroorthopaedics at the University Children's Hospital Basel and the associated gait laboratory. He considers it essential to understand normal walking and muscular control. Only with this knowledge is it possible to understand the processes that occur in gait disorders. In the "Normal walking" course, he did not base his description of normal walking on the electromyogram, i.e. muscle activity, but on muscle strength. This makes it easier to assess the type of muscle activity and its significance.

Beat Knecht, Dr. med.

Beat Knecht, Dr. med.

From 1984 to 2010, Beat was head physician at what is now Kinder-Reha Schweiz, during which time he significantly shaped and influenced pediatric rehabilitation. He was particularly enthusiastic about the development, introduction and implementation of the ICF for children and adolescents. For him, the ICF is a foundation and a guidepost for today's understanding of rehabilitation.

Judith Graser, PhD PT

Judith Graser, PhD PT

Judith works as a physical therapist in her own pediatric physical therapy practice and is a sought-after speaker and president of the Association of Swiss Pediatric Physical Therapists (physiopaed.ch). She dedicated both her Master of Science degree and her doctoral dissertation to the topic of motor learning.

The foxstudy team

Jan Lieber, MSc.

Chief Visionary Officer

Jan Lieber, MSc.

Chief Visionary Officer

Jan has been working as an occupational therapist at the Children's Rehab Switzerland of the University Children's Hospital Zurich since 2011 and has been part of the research group since 2015. He completed a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at the Danube University in Krems and regularly lectured to occupational therapy students in the field of neuropaediatrics at the Medical Academy in Freiburg. He himself has attended over 25 training and further education courses lasting several days and had to use several weekends and vacation days to do so, not to mention the hotel and travel costs. "This has to be easier!" That's why he founded foxstudy with Petra and Rob. To make further training in evident treatment methods and tests in various therapeutic and medical fields not only easier, but also more affordable.

Petra Marsico, PhD PT

Chief Therapy Officer

Petra Marsico, PhD PT

Chief Therapy Officer

Petra completed her training as a physiotherapist in Basel and successfully completed her Master of Science in Bern. In 2024, she obtained her PhD in Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research at Queen Margaret University. She works as a postdoctoral researcher and physiotherapist at Kinder-Reha Schweiz. Her research, which is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, is dedicated to better understanding the body perception of children and adolescents with neurological impairments. The aim is to develop innovative treatment approaches. The transfer of knowledge is particularly close to her heart: she teaches in the Master of Advanced Studies in Developmental Neurological Therapy at the University of Basel, in the Master of Health Science at the University of Lucerne and in various Bobath courses in Germany. Together with Rob and Jan, she is pursuing the goal of taking knowledge transfer to a new level with foxstudy.

Rob Labruyère, PD, PhD

Chief Knowledge Officer

Rob Labruyère, PD, PhD

Chief Knowledge Officer

Rob studied biology at the University of Zurich and movement sciences at ETH Zurich. Born in the Netherlands, he completed his doctorate in neuroscience at ETH Zurich in 2011 and worked in the research department of Kinder-Reha Schweiz until 2024. In 2021, he completed his habilitation at the University of Zurich's Faculty of Medicine. His research areas include the improvement of therapeutic services, especially in the field of robot-assisted gait therapy and sensor-based recording of activities. He used to play card games during boring lectures and therefore tinkered with practical alternatives with Jan and Petra.