Four Croatian Doctors Win ‘Medical Oscars’

The news in Croatian

1. međunarodan
   koji se odnosi na više država ili naroda, koji je između različitih država ↩︎
2. istraživanje  (n.)
   sustavan i detaljan rad na proučavanju neke pojave ili problema da bi se došlo do novih saznanja ↩︎
3. neurologija  (f.)
   grana medicine koja se bavi bolestima živčanog sustava ↩︎
4. oftalmologija  (f.)
   grana medicine koja se bavi bolestima oka i vida ↩︎
5. pulmologija  (f.)
   grana medicine koja se bavi bolestima pluća i dišnog sustava ↩︎
6. alergologija  (f.)
   grana medicine koja se bavi alergijama i njihovim liječenjem ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: In which city did the four Croatian doctors receive the international Medis award?

Question 2: What is one way their research helps patients?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
međunarodan	international
istraživanje  (n.)	research
neurologija  (f.)	neurology
oftalmologija  (f.)	ophthalmology
pulmologija  (f.)	pulmonology
alergologija  (f.)	allergology

Read the full story

Four Croatian doctors have received the International Medis Awards for Medical Research (IMA), often called the “Medical Oscars”, at a ceremony in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The awards honour doctors and pharmacists from Central and Eastern Europe who, in addition to their daily clinical work, carry out significant scientific research.

The Croatian awardees are Helena Ostović, Berislav Ruška, Leon Marković and Liborija Lugović Mihić. Their work covers several medical fields: intensive care and anaesthesiology, neurology, ophthalmology, and pulmonology and allergology.

The ceremony was attended by Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar. In her address, she underlined that the laureates’ contribution goes beyond laboratories, clinics and universities. According to her, the most valuable achievements in medicine are those that combine scientific excellence with direct care for patients and help shape the future of treatment while inspiring younger generations of researchers.

The winners themselves pointed out that the awards highlight the importance of research integrated into everyday clinical practice. Their studies aim to improve the understanding of diseases and to support more precise diagnostic methods and treatment decisions.

Helena Ostović from Clinical Hospital Dubrava (KB Dubrava) in Zagreb was honoured in the category of intensive medicine and anaesthesiology. Her study examined the effect of intravenous lidocaine, ketamine and a lidocaine–ketamine combination in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer. For the first time, the interaction of these two anaesthetic drugs was analysed in a systematic way. The results indicate that this approach can improve postoperative pain control and reduce the need for opioid painkillers.

Berislav Ruška from Clinical Hospital Sveti Duh (KB Sveti Duh) received the award in neurology. Over a six-year follow-up period, his research explored how the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that controls automatic body functions such as heart rate and blood pressure) is affected in patients with multiple sclerosis. The findings suggest that starting highly effective therapy early can significantly lower the risk of long-term damage to this system.

Also from KB Sveti Duh, Leon Marković was awarded in the field of ophthalmology. His doctoral work focused on retinoblastoma, a rare but most common primary eye tumour in children. By studying differences in the expression of proteins in the Wnt signalling pathway and their relation to the phosphorylation of the pRb protein, his research contributes to a better understanding and classification of tumour subtypes. This may support the development of more personalised treatment strategies for young patients.

The fourth Croatian laureate, Liborija Lugović Mihić from Clinical Hospital Sisters of Charity (KB Sestre milosrdnice), was recognised in pulmonology and allergology. Her study investigated the relationship between pro‑inflammatory cytokines (specifically IL‑6 and TNF‑α), psychological stress and the severity of chronic spontaneous urticaria, a form of long-lasting hives. The research showed a significant connection between stress, these inflammatory markers and the disease’s intensity, opening possibilities for new therapies focused on inflammatory processes in the skin.

The International Medis Awards cover nine medical categories. In each category, two finalists are selected by an international scientific committee. This year, the committee reviewed 243 scientific papers from 11 countries, accepting 196 of them into the competition. Croatian doctors and pharmacists submitted 41 papers and, according to the organisers’ data, Croatia had the highest number of finalists – five in total.

Besides the four Croatian winners, another Croatian researcher, Vlatka Sotošek from Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka (KBC Rijeka), reached the finals in intensive medicine and anaesthesiology. Her work examined how coronary artery bypass graft surgery influences the levels of interleukin‑18 and biomarkers of endothelial glycocalyx degradation, which are indicators related to the function and damage of blood vessel walls.

Other awardees this year came from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and the Czech Republic, in disciplines such as dermatology, pharmacy, gynaecology, paediatrics and rheumatology. The winners received a bronze sculpture titled “Future” by Slovenian‑Croatian sculptor Jakov Brdar, along with a diploma and a financial prize.

The International Medis Awards were established in 2014 on the initiative of the Slovenian pharmaceutical company Medis, which remains the main sponsor. For observers outside the region, the success of the Croatian researchers illustrates how smaller European countries are contributing to global medical knowledge through focused, practice‑oriented clinical research.

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