Speakers
Dr. Rada M. Grubovic Rastvorceva, MD MSci PhD
President of Macedonian Society for Transfusion Medicine
President of the 5th Congress of Macedonian Society for Transfusion Medicine
Dr. Rada M. Grubovic Rastvorceva, MD MSci PhD is Consultant in Transfusion Medicine and Hematology, Head of Department for Stem Cell Collection at the Institute for Transfusion Medicine in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia and Senior Assistant at the Medical Faculty in Skopje, University Sts Cyril and Methodius. She is educated at the David Geffen School of Medicine and Ronald Reagan Medical Center at the UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA and the King’s College Hospital in London, UK. Dr. Grubovic is President of Macedonian Society for Transfusion Medicine. She is JACIE inspector and external auditor for accreditation of medical institutions. She was external advisor of the Macedonian Minister of Health from 2012 till 2015 establishing the National Bone Marrow Donor Program and subsequent by-laws and Project Manager of the EU IPA project “Strengthening of the Blood Safety System” (2013-2014). She is the representative of North Macedonia in the European Committee on Blood Transfusion (CD-P-TS) in EDQM and member of many international and domestic professional societies – ISBT Working party for Cellular therapy and Quality Control, ISTH, EBMT, MMA, MMC, MAAA, etc). She was awarded with Princes of Wales Memorial Award by the British Society for Transfusion Medicine and Fulbright scholarship by the US Department of State, and many other domestic and international recognitions. Dr. Grubovic is author and coauthor of more than 150 scientific publications. She is editorial board member and a reviewer in 20 international medical journals.
Sadula Useini, MD, Medical director of ITM
Vice President of the 5th Congress of Macedonian Society for Transfusion Medicine
Dr. Sadula Usaini was born in 1976 in Skopje. He graduated from the Medical Faculty at the University Ss Cyril and Methodius Skopje in 2004. He is a specialist in transfusion medicine from 2009. Since 2013 he completed subspecialisation оf hematology. In 2012 he become JACIE inspector. He is an active member of MSTM, MMA, MMC, ISBT and etc. He has extensive experience in the field of the quality of clinical transfusion practice and apheresis procedure. Since March 2018 Dr.Usaini is Medical Director of the Institute for transfusion medicine of RNM – Skopje. Dr. Useini has CME Certificate for the quality of clinical transfusion practice in Europe from 2008; Certificate of practical training for apheresis procedure in clinic, November 2008, Athens Greece; Certificate – The ISBT Board of Directors, Cairo, Egypt 21-25 March 2009; Certificate, ISTH-2009 Boston March 2009 International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis 55 th Annual Meeting of the Scientific and Standartization Committee ; Certificate, ISBT 10-14 September 2008, The quality of clinical transfusion practice in Europe and basic step to haemovigilance and transfusion safety.
Prof. Dr Aleksandar Mijovic, MBBS, PhD, FRCPath
Prof. Dr Aleksandar Mijovic, MBBS, PhD, FRCPath, graduated from the Medical School of University of Belgrade, Serbia, in 1978. He completed specialty training in internal medicine in 1986, and obtained his PhD degree in 1992 (Thesis: Prognosis and Treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes). He continued his career at King’s College Hospital, London, initially in research on peripheral blood stem cells mobilisation and gene transfer (1993-1999). In 1999, he was appointed a consultant jointly by King’s College Hospital and the NHS Blood and Transplant. His main interests include blood transfusion in special clinical situations (haemopoietic cell transplantation, sickle cell disease, fetal medicine), autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, neutropenia, and therapeutic apheresis. Dr Mijovic served as medical director of the Apheresis Unit at King’s College Hospital 2005-2019. Dr Mijovic has over 70 publications in peer-reviewed journals and books. He authored the book Transfusion medicine: case studies and clinical management (2012). He is a teacher of the European School of Transfusion Medicine and European Haematology Association, and examiner for the Royal College of Pathologists. He established a training program for foreign trainees in transfusion medicine at King’s College Hospital. He received research grants from the National Blood Authority and pharmaceutical industry. Dr Mijovic served as WHO adviser and he is a reviewer for several international haematology and transfusion medicine journals.
Nigar ERTUĞRUL ÖRÜÇ, MD, Director, Blood Transfusion Center
Nigar ERTUĞRUL ÖRÜÇ is Director of Blood Transfusion Center and Coordinator of Haemovigilance at Health Sciences University Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. She has experience of eight years in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, over 20 years in Blood Transfusion. She serves, as a consultant and project coordinator, for the Ministry of Health and sits on several national committees with regards to preparation of policies, strategies, trainings and national guidelines on blood banking and transfusion medicine. She is member of the European Committee on Blood Transfusion (CD-P-TS) and the Ad-hoc Working Group-Blood Transfusion Guide (GTS) at European Council. She represents Turkey at Competent Authorities on Blood and Blood Components in European Commission. She is knowledgeable of EU regulations and guidelines and has experiences in developing and managing EU-funded projects in Turkey. She is member of ISBT Working Party on Global Blood Safety, Donors and Donation, Blood Supply Management, Clinical Transfusion, Haemovigilance and Quality Management.
Bela Balint, MD PhD, member of SANU
Prof. dr. Bela Balint is born in 1952, specialist in transfusion medicine (1983) and a subspecialist in hematology (2007). He worked at the Military Medical Academy (MMA) Institute for Transfusion and Chemobiology (1980–2018, Head of Institute 2010–2017). He is now Head of the Blood Transfusion Department at IKVB Dedinje, Belgrade. He works at the Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, as an experimental hematologist (since 1996). Since 2005 he is a full professor (Faculty of Medicine – MF) and scientific advisor (Ministry of Science of RS). He is professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, Nis, Novi Sad and the European School of Transfusion (Milan). He is a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences SLD (2002). He was elected a member of SANU (2015). Published 868 papers, Scientific (M) Coefficient = 1008, Cumulative IF = 122.5. He is the author / co-author of 20 monographies. His works have been cited 763 times (RGC). He is the founder of the Stem Cell Transplant Center (MTC) and the MMA Regenerative Medicine Center. He explored the protocols of processing, immunomagnetic selection and cryopreservation of pluripotent and targeted MCs. In the field of regenerative medicine, Serbia was among the first in the world to start with intracoronary (myocardial infarction) and intramyocardial (coronary bypass) administration of MIC.
Prof. dr. Balint was the first in the world to introduce innovative apheresis therapies: 1) selective plasma exchange with extracellular immunoadsorption (for kidney transplants) and 2) multi-modal apheresis (for hemobiological disorders). He is the founder and president of the National Interdisciplinary Association for Apheresis Treatment in our country.
He was awarded the SLD Award (2002), Cvijic Medal (2001) and the Gold Medal by President of Serbia (2011). He received the SLD Scientific Award (2007) and the Best NIR Project Award (2008).
Irena Jukić, MD, PhD, Director, Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
After completion of the Faculty of Medicine of the University in Zagreb and a short work in general practice, most of her work experience she obtained in the Croatian Institute for Transfusion Medicine. She started out as a doctor in the field team, working on examining blood donors. After that, for seven years she was a head of the department for blood collection and blood donation promotion, a period in which a lot of good results were registered. From 2001. to present serves as a director of the Croatian Institute for Transfusion Medicine. Actively participates in the project of blood transfusion service reorganization from the start.
The area of special interest were and still are the blood donors, promotion of blood donation and continuous work and education of everybody involved in this segment. She has given numerous lectures in all communities, from schools to professional workers. Authored and co-authored a number of concept designs for posters, TV spots and other promotional activities.
She obtained her PhD in the field of association of ABO blood group genotypes and the incidence of thromboembolic diseases. She is an author and co-author of many scientific and professional works and conference reports. She is assistant professor in Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Primož Rožman, MD, PhD
Prof. Primož Rožman, MD, PhD, is a specialist in transfusion medicine/immunohematology. He was the Medical Director of the Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia until 2016. He held various positions in the national and European bodies in the field of transfusion medicine and cell therapy. He studied at Ljubljana University Medical Faculty and has been later educated at various institutes in London, Gießen, Paris, Leiden, Amsterdam, and Worcester (MA, USA). His area of expertise includes immune disorders of blood cells, molecular research of erythrocyte and platelet antigens and their role in bone marrow transplantation. He was a PI in several national research projects, he has designed several new courses related to transfusion and transplantation at the University of Ljubljana, and mentored many graduate and PhD students as well as medical fellows in the transfusion medicine. Currently, his main research is focused at the regenerative medicine, aging, rejuvenation and stem cell therapies. He produced around 420 bibliographic units. His complete bibliography is available at:
http://izumbib.izum.si/bibliografije/Y20190522100256-A3671651.html
Tatjana Makarovska-Bojadjieva, MD, PhD
Borne: September, 27th, 1967 in Skopje, Macedonia.
Education: Medical Faculty in Skopje in 1086-1992; Postgraduate Studies in Basic and Clinical Immunology (1993-1996) in Belgrade with the thesis “Lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with asthma”; Specialization in Transfusion Medicine (1997-1999) – Medical Faculty, Skopje; Doctor of medical sciences since 2010, with the thesis “Evaluation of alloimmunizated patients to clinically significant blood group antigens”.
Current position: Head of the Department of blood testing in the Institute for transfusion medicine, Head of the Cathedra for Transfusiology (University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Medical faculty, Skopje), Head of the ongoing project ”Rare blood groups” under the auspices of the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Medical faculty in Skopje.
Manager of the National blood donor information system.
Tomislav Vuk, MD, PhD, specialist in Transfusion Medicine Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Tomislav Vuk is Quality manager at Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine in Zagreb, board member of the ISBT Working Party (WP) on Quality Management, member of the ISBT WP on Haemovigilance, representative of Croatia in the European Committee on Blood Transfusion (Steering Committee) (CD-P-TS) and in the Committee on Quality Assurance in Blood Transfusion Services (Expert Committee) (GTS), representative of Croatia in EBA (European Blood Alliance). In 2009 he was awarded the title of Primarius and in 2017 obtained PhD degree on University of Zagreb, Faculty of Medicine. In 2019 he became a research associate at the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine.
Author and co-author of numerous books and papers.
Lorenzo Montrasio, EDQM
Expert on health products regulation and international collaboration with a particular focus on blood products.
Actual job: leading the activities related to the Blood Quality Management at the European Directorate for the Quality of. Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe. (Strasbourg – France; 2018 – Present). In parallel: chair of the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Committee for innovation in vaccine testing at the Innovative Medicines Initiative (European Commission – EU Horizon 2020; Brussels – Belgium; 2018 – Present). Former Head of Biological Medicines Unit at the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) in charge of marketing authorization for new medicines (Rome – Italy; 2011 – 2018). Former GMP inspector. (2003-2012). Former member of Working Groups at the European Medicine Agency: Blood Products Working Party (2010-2018), Biological Working Party (2012-2018); Inspectors Working Group (2006-2010). On voluntary basis, collaborating with the hospital of Eboulowa – Camerun, for the local health care development (since 2016).
Johnny Mahlangu, BSc, MBBCh, MMed, FCPath, Cert Clin Haem
Johnny Mahlangu is Professor of Haematology and Head of the School of Pathology in the Faculty of the Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is also Director of the Bleeding Disorders Unit, which encompasses the Adult Haemophilia Comprehensive Care Centre and Head of Clinical Haematology Services at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. He is the Head of the Main Haematology Laboratory in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital National Health Laboratory Service Laboratory Complex.
Professor Mahlangu received his undergraduate training in science and medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. He specialised in Haematology and sub-specialised in Clinical Haematology through the National Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. He research is focused on clinical trials in bleeding disorders in which he has served as national and/or international principal investigator in over 70 studies.
Professor Mahlangu is a member of a number of international professional societies, including the American Society of Hematology, International Society of Thrombosis and haemostasis, World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH) and the International Society of Hematology (ISH). He is the past president of the South African Society of Haematology (SASH) and current President of College of Pathologists of South Africa. He serves on numerous national and international scientific committees and boards, and is invited to speak regularly at national and international meetings.
Elena Petkovic, MD, Vice President of Macedonian Society for Transfusion Medicine
Elena Petkovic was born in 1980 in Skopje, Macedonia. She works in the Institute of Transfusion medicine in Skopje and is a specialist in transfusion medicine. She is Head of the Department for Quality Assurance and Quality Control, Vice-president of Macedonian Society for Transfusion Medicine and member of ISBT and ISHT. She had an IHTC Fellowship training at the Angelo Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia Center in Milan, Italy. Dr. Petkovic is author and coauthor of more than 50 scientific publications.
Prof. dr. Dusan Vucetic, MD, PhD
Prof. dr. Dusan Vucetic, MD, PhD, successfully graduated Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade in 1987. He finished specialization of Transfusion Medicine at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade in 1993 with great success. His Master’s thesis was defended in 2001 and PhD thesis in 2007 at the the Military Medical Academy. Dr. Vucetic was elected as Assistant Professor of Transfusion Medicine in Faculty of Medicine University of Defense, Serbia in June 2011 and after that to the position of Professor of Transfusion Medicine in June 2016. He was the Chief of the Department of Hematogenous Transmissible Viral Diseases since 2006 years until 2011 and after that he was appointed as Head of the Department of Chemotherapy and Apheresis Treatment with the Laboratory for Cryopreservation. Since August 2017 Dr. Vucetic is appointed the Head of the Institute for Transfusiology and Hemobiology of Military Medical Academy.
Assoc. prof. Urban Švajger, PhD MPharm
Assoc. prof. Urban Švajger, PhD, MPharm earned a PhD in Immunology from University of Ljubljana and was a post-doctoral fellow at the Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia. He also acted as a visiting professor/researcher at the University of Giessen & Marburg, Germany. His current research focus is the immunology of dendritic cells, immune tolerance, tumor immunology and stem cell biology. Currently he is the head of R&D at the Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Department of Therapeutic services, where he is focused on development of advanced therapy medicinal products within the scope of cellular therapies. He is also directly involved in clinical translation of stem cell therapies and cellular immunotherapies. He actively lectures at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy and Faculty of Biotechnology in the field of immunology and cellular immunotherapies and has published approximately 40 papers in international SCI journals
Prof. Dr. Marijan Bosevski, Skopje, Macedonia
Marijan Bosevski, MD, PhD, FICA, is Associate Professor of Internal medicine and Cardiology at the University Stt Cyril and Methodius, Skopje. Prof. Bosevski trained and worked as fellow at University Cardiology Clinic, Faculty of Medicine Skopje. He passed education for Vascular Ultrasound in University Hospital of Gent, Boston University Medical Center, for Thrombosis in Mayo Clinic Rochester and Echocardiography in UCLA and Medical University Wien. His current position is Head of Vascular Lab at University Cardiology Clinic Skopje, where he also leads the national studies on vascular disease and thrombosis and International Riete register. He is Editor of the Advanced J of Vasc Med, Int J Diabetes research. He authored (and co-authored) 5 books, over 100 articles in Pub Med with over 350 citations in peer-reviewed journals. His H-index is 9 and his main scientific interests are: thrombosis, vascular diseases, venous thrombembolism, diabetes and heart, endothelial dysfunction, prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. He is a member of ESC WG on Thrombosis, Aorta and Peripheral vascular disease, Right Ventricular Function and Pulmonary Hypertension and currently serves as Secretary General of Macedonian Society of Cardiology.
Ana Antić, MD PhD, President of Transfusion Medicine Association of Serbia
Ana Antić was born in 1974 in Niš, Serbia. She is a specialist in transfusion medicine and PhD in the field of hematology. She works at the Blood Transfusion Institute in Niš, where she was a Head of the Department for clinical transfusion, now she works in the Department for laboratory testing and haemostasis disorders.
Dr Antić is a President of Transfusion Medicine Association of Serbia, Vice-president of Transfusion Medicine Section in Serbian Medical Society, member of the Editorial Board of Bulletin of Transfusion medicine, member of ISBT and Society for Haemostasis and Thrombosis. In 2005, she was one of the leaders in National team for implementing information system in transfusion services in Serbia, when IT system (eProgesa, Mak-system, France) was implemented in Blood Transfusion Institute in Niš. During her professional career, she implemented many new technologies in the routine transfusion practice, such as gel-agglutination method in immunohematological testings, automation in pretransfusion testings, point-of-care coagulation testings and monitoring of antiplatelet therapy. The focus of her work was the examination and introduction of new methods of preparing blood components and improving storage conditions, so she implemented pathogen inactivation in blood products (Mirasol PRT system) and ISBT 128 labelling, and examined the quality of blood products prepared from “top&bottom” blood bags and membrane separation system.
Dr Antić is the author of more than 150 papers, and one of the authors of the monography of national importance “Immunohaemotological diagnostics of alloimunization in pregnancy”, Belgrade 2016.
Snežana Jovanović-Srzentić, MD, PhD
Jovanović-Srzentić Snežana, MD, PhD, graduated at Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade, Serbia, where she received the Diploma degrees of specialist of transfusion medicine, Master of science degree, as well as PhD diploma degree, all of them with the highest honour. She is the lecturer at the Department for postgraduate education of transfusion medicine of Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade, Serbia, since 2004. Her current position is Head of the Department for molecular testing in the Blood Tranfusion Institute of Serbia, from 2016 onwards. Her fields of professional interest are blood groups in humans, blood groups and diseases, immunohaematological testing in pregnancy, introduction and improvement of quality assurance in laboratory practice. Professional experience/leading positions: Director of the Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia (2010-2015); President of the Committee for the improvement of the quality of professional activities at the Blood Transfusion Institiute of Serbia (2007-2010); Head of the Department for blood group serology of donors in the Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia (2008-2010); responsible person for the introduction and improvement of quality in laboratory practice at the Department for laboratory testing and control of blood donors in the Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia (2008-2010). She is the author and co-author of more than 50 research papers, 6 of them are published in journal notificated at SCI list. She is the coauthor of two national monographies and of the one chapter concerning the blood groups in humans in the Textbook of Clinical Haematology of Belgrade University Faculty of Medicine.
Todorovska Elizabeta, MD MSci PhD
Born on 28-th of April 1958 in Skopje. Elementary and high school finished in Skopje.
Graduated at the Medical Faculty, Universuty in Skopje, 1983. Employed at The Institute for Blood Transfusion, Department for Haemostasis and Thrombosis “ Akademik Ivan Dejanov”, Skopje, R. Macedonia in 1985. Completed the specialization of transfusiology in 1990.
Completed M.A. degree by M.A. examination and work named “ Thrombocytic antithrombin deficiency in patients suffering from activated thrombogenesis” in 1996. Completed PhD by work named “ Correlation between lipid status and parameters of fibrinolytic system” in 2009. Worked as a clinical haemostasiologist and transfusiologist at The Institute for Blood Transfusion, Clinic Medical Center, Skopje, R.N.Macedonia. Reasearch assistant at the Catedry for Transfusiology, Medical Faculty, Skopje.Member of the team in three published International Projects for Haemostasis and Thrombosis with physicians in R.Slovenia. Member of Macedonian Society for Trasfusion Medicine.