Boris Zernikow

In June 2010, the Centre of Paediatric Palliative Care including the eight-bed in-hospital paediatric palliative care unit and a homecare PPC-team was opened at the Children's Hospital Datteln under the ongoing medical management of Zernikow. The Centre of Paediatric Palliative Care has the goal of relieving painful disease symptoms and producing the highest possible degree of quality of life for children and adolescents with palliative diseases in cooperation with the whole family.

After the completion of his medical degree, Zernikow trained as specialist in children's and youth medicine with a focus on pediatric oncology, completing additional qualifications in Pediatric Pain Therapy and Palliative Medicine. In 2004 he habilitated on the subject of “Pain Therapy in Paediatric Oncology – Results of a nation-wide quality improvement program (STOP)”.

In 2002, a team led by Zernikow established the Vodafone Foundation Institute (VIKP) in Datteln at the Children and Adolescent's Hospital. This developed into the German Paediatric Pain Centre (2008) and the Centre of Paediatric Palliative Care (2010). Zernikow has held the chair for Children's Pain Therapy and Paediatric Palliative Care at the Witten/Herdecke University from 2004 and has been chief physician at the Children's Hospital Datteln since 2002.

Zernikow studied human medicine at the Westphalian Wilhelms-University of Münster from 1986 until 1993 during which he was supported by a scholarship from the Cusanuswerk. He completed the practical year of his training at St. Gallen cantonal hospital, Switzerland, and Harvard Medical School, USA.

Boris Zernikow (born August 12, 1964 in Bochum) is a German paediatrician who works in the field of pain therapy and palliative medicine. He holds the chair for child pain therapy and pediatric palliative medicine at the Witten/Herdecke University as well as chief physician at the Vestische Kinder- und Jugendklinik Datteln.