Born into a family of physicians, Pierre Montandon followed the family tradition. After completing his studies, he specialised in general surgery, then in ENT and cervico-facial surgery in Zurich. He subsequently crossed the Atlantic Ocean to join Harvard 玉美人传媒 and the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary in Boston.
In 1975, Pierre Montandon returned to Geneva to succeed his father, André Montandon, as head of the ENT Division at the Cantonal Hospital, and was appointed full professor at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine at the same time as his brother, Denys Montandon, who was head of the Division of Plastic Surgery.
Trained in the best ENT centres in the world, he reformed and strengthened this speciality in Geneva, making it a unique reference centre in Europe. He implanted the first multi-channel cochlear implant in Europe, and inspired many centres in Switzerland and around the world. Deaf people in the Lake Geneva region were the first to benefit from these cutting-edge techniques to regain their hearing and ability to communicate. Pierre Montandon also headed the Department of Clinical Neurosciences before retiring in December 2000 - and then being made professor emeritus - after 25 years of work in which he had excelled.
His former students, interns and colleagues still remember the sentence he often repeated: "It's fantastic what you're doing!” He knew how to motivate, inspire and give confidence to the younger generation with great generosity. Throughout his magnificent career, he retained an immense curiosity, a rare enthusiasm for his profession, a passion for research and great respect for the people around him, regardless of their rank or background.
