Prof. Dr. Miljanović: The University of Montenegro and the Faculty of Medicine play an exceptional role in society and the state
Before the University of Montenegro evolved into the largest Montenegrin academic institution we know today, young people seeking knowledge and expertise in various scientific and research fields were quite limited and directed towards universities outside of Montenegro.
Much has changed since then. Currently, as the University of Montenegro celebrates its 50th anniversary, it consists of 19 faculties and 3 institutes that offer a wide range of opportunities for advancement, education, and scientific research to tens of thousands of domestic and foreign students.
Prof. Dr. Olivera Miljanović, who has personally contributed to the development of one of the key university units - the Faculty of Medicine in Podgorica, testified to this evolution and development from her own experience.
During the time of her commitment to a future career in medical disciplines, her generation and many before and after were directed to medical faculties of the former Yugoslavia, since the Faculty of Medicine in Montenegro was founded years after the completion of almost all forms of formal academic education of our interlocutor. Dr. Miljanovićs early professional and academic orientation was mostly shaped by universities in Belgrade and Zagreb, where she had the privilege of learning from renowned experts. In Belgrade and Zagreb, she completed undergraduate studies in medicine, postgraduate studies in medical genetics, a four-year specialization in pediatrics, a masters degree, and a specialization in clinical genetics.
However, our interlocutor emphasizes that besides the opportunity to professionally mature at universities with a long and rich tradition, upon returning from studies in Montenegro, there was a lack of integration of young doctors into the research and scientific streams in their community, where they live and work. As a pivotal moment to change this deficiency, Miljanović cites the establishment of the Medical Institute, which has been an independent unit of the University of Montenegro since 1997.
"I had the opportunity to professionally mature at the Childrens Hospital of the Institute for Health Protection of Children and Youth Titograd, alongside doctors of medical sciences, who, in addition to protecting childrens health, were also engaged in scientific research within the Medical Institute. My first contact with scientific and research work comes from that period when I was engaged as the principal investigator in two republic and one federal research projects of the former Yugoslavia led by colleagues members of the scientific-teaching council of the Medical Institute.
These early experiences in research in the field of genetic disorders in Montenegro have determined my further professional and university career in the field of pediatrics and genomic medicine. Concurrently, I completed a specialization in pediatrics at the University of Belgrade and postgraduate studies in medical genetics at the University of Zagreb. After completing the specialization in pediatrics with summa cum laude honors, I decided to return to Montenegro and continue working at the Clinical Hospital Center in Podgorica, with the task entrusted to me to establish a service for medical genetics that did not exist in Montenegro until then. My further professional and creative momentum was focused on two tracks: establishing and developing medical and clinical genetics in Montenegro and joining the work of the newly established Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montenegro. Both tracks were inseparably linked with science and research, which led me to membership in the Board of Medicine of CANU since 1998. I see these two converging directions of professional life in the symbol of humane double-stranded DNA, the symbol of the science to which my entire professional and research life is dedicated: genomic medicine," recalls Miljanović.
Professor Dr. Miljanović has been working at the Clinical Center of Montenegro since the beginning of her professional career. She was the director of the Clinical Center of Montenegro from 2007 to 2011 and the director of the Institute for Diseases of Children KC CG from 1999 to 2005. She formed the service for clinical genetics at the Childrens Clinic in 1993. With a team of associates, she introduced modern procedures of medical genetics and formed the Center for Medical Genetics and Immunology KC CG, which she has been managing since its establishment in 2000.
She was elected as an assistant at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montenegro in 2001, as an associate professor in 2011, as a professor in 2017, and as a full professor in 2023. She teaches pediatrics, biomedicine and bioethics, and clinical genetics. She is the chair of the Committee for Medical Ethics and Bioethics and the head of the Center for Scientific Research at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montenegro. She was the vice-dean for teaching at the same faculty from 2013 to 2018. From this rich experience and strong connection with this educational unit, Miljanović emphasizes the enormous importance that the Faculty of Medicine has for Montenegrin society.
"It seems somewhat pretentious to speak of the role of the UCG Faculty of Medicine throughout history over 26 years of existence, however, the idea of studying medicine in Montenegro is more than a century old. Back in 1881, the pioneer of modern medicine in Montenegro, Dr. Milan Joanović Batut, launched a visionary initiative to form a Faculty of Medicine in Cetinje, emphasizing the necessity of training doctors in their own country to improve the quality of health care and promote health. Unfortunately, this advanced idea had to wait nearly a century! In the 1960s, key higher education institutions were formed in Montenegro, and within this higher education momentum in 1967, the initiative to establish a Faculty of Medicine was relaunched. First, an institution was created that would further carry and implement the idea of establishing a medical faculty in Montenegro: the Medical Institute," states Miljanović.
From the Medical Institute, which was the backbone of scientific research work in medicine and the promotion of the importance of medical sciences in higher education and gathering of human resources in the field of medicine, to the esteemed Faculty of Medicine we know today, much has changed, but the noble goals that drove, and continue to drive these institutions, have remained common.
"Today, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montenegro, compared to the organization of faculties in the surrounding area and Europe, actually includes five faculties: three integrated academic study programs Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and two applied study programs Nursing Care and Physiotherapy. Today, the Faculty of Medicine, after completing integrated and basic studies, enables doctoral and masters studies, gathering and directing all interested students towards research work, supporting creative research ideas, and strengthening research capacities. Today, the Faculty of Medicine, within the University of Montenegro, ranks third in terms of the number of publications, with 551 papers published in referenced indexed scientific journals. In this sense, its significant role in Montenegrin society is indisputable when we talk about the education of experts in the field of medical sciences, research in the field of medicine, and health promotion in all domains of health care."
The contemporary Faculty of Medicine is also distinguished by its quality international cooperation, and through the combined activities of the Faculty of Medicine and the Center for Genomic Medicine and Immunology of the Clinical Center of Montenegro, which is the teaching base of the Faculty of Medicine, long-term cooperation in the field of genomic medicine with numerous research and diagnostic centers across Europe has been established, among which are the University Center for Clinical Genetics in Amsterdam; Center for Genomic Functional Research at the University of Copenhagen, University Institute for Human Genetics in Jena, Laboratory for Quantitative Genomic Medicine in Barcelona. Miljanović particularly emphasizes the importance of cooperation and knowledge exchange in the fields of genomic medicine and biomedicine, which are primarily focused on very rare diseases and disorders. She notes that a multidisciplinary approach and broad international cooperation are imperative for the successful discovery of gene function disorders, new mutations, and genomic disorders.
"I consider the cooperation with university and research institutions in the surrounding area with which we have established significant cooperation through the implementation of bilateral and international research projects to be particularly significant. The fruit of bilateral research cooperation with the Clinical Institute for Genomic Medicine of the University Clinical Center in Ljubljana are significant research findings in the field of determining monogenic causes of congenital anomalies and severe male fertility disorders. As partners, we participate in two Horizon 2022 projects with the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade. We also achieve intensive multi-year research cooperation with the Faculty of Biology of the University of Belgrade and the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade."
The result of broad international cooperation, and also independent research work of Dr. Miljanović within the Center for Genomic Medicine of the Clinical Center of Montenegro and the Faculty of Medicine, is reflected in papers published in leading and eminent international scientific journals.
"Research in the field of genomic medicine and biomedicine is inevitably connected with bioethical challenges, which must be defined in the direction of complete protection of the dignity and dignity of life. Therefore, bioethics is another focus of my activities within professional medical and educational activities at my home faculty, but also within leading international bioethical organizations. I contribute to the field of bioethics as a lecturer in the subject of Bioethics and Biomedicine at our faculty, a member of the International Forum of Lecturers of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics at the University of Haifa, and as a member of the Supervisory Committee for Bioethics of the Council of Europe," states the professor.
The most objective indicator of Dr. Miljanovićs contribution to the international positioning of the Faculty of Medicine is the annual award for special contribution to the development of scientific research work and international positioning of the University of Montenegro for 2022, which was awarded to her by the University of Montenegro.
She passes on her knowledge and rich experience at the Faculty of Medicine to students so that they too can one day become quality medical staff who will treat and make the nation healthier.
"Education in the field of medical sciences is a very demanding process, requiring excellent knowledge of the basic sciences, physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, and layered knowledge about the functioning of the wondrous human organism and the mechanisms that lead to health disorders and the development of diseases. The integration of acquired knowledge is crowned by mastering skills in numerous medical disciplines and understanding human psychology and its impact on health and disease development. Building dedication and a sincere relationship with the patient, to whom we must show our care for their wellbeing, is equally an important educational task for professors, which I strive to convey along with the implementation of educational curricula," emphasizes Miljanović.
Among a broader spectrum of subjects she teaches, which represent the integration of clinical disciplines, bio-science, and the translation of knowledge from experimental molecular science into clinical practice, Miljanović particularly highlights medical and clinical genetics as complex and comprehensive multidisciplinary medical specialties that encompass all phases of human life and all organic systems, with a special focus on the ethical, legal, and social implications brought by the fascinating technological advances in human genome analysis.
"Countries in Western Europe have long recognized the importance of raising the level of genetic literacy among medical students, as future representatives of the health system who will be involved in caring for patients with genetic disorders in the 21st century. Recognizing these educational trends, at the Medical Faculty of UCG during the accreditation in 2016-2017, we introduced a new subject of clinical genetics in the higher years of medicine and dentistry, alongside the traditionally existing basic subject of human genetics in the first year.
Confirmation that we have taken the right direction in these educational innovations comes through the conclusions of international research carried out within 22 medical faculties in six Balkan countries of the South Slavic speaking area. The published conclusions of this research emphasize that the Medical Faculty of the University of Montenegro is the only faculty among similar faculties in the Balkan countries with Slavic languages, offering education in human genetics through two compulsory subjects at the level of medical studies, citing it as the best example of an integrative approach to comprehensive education of future doctors in genetics, through basic education in human genetics in the first year and clinical education in medical genetics in the fifth year of studies."
As another positive step made by her home faculty, Miljanović notes that the Medical Faculty, in addition to its dedication to education, has placed scientific research at the focus of its activities. In line with the Strategy for the Development of the Medical Faculty and the goal of strengthening the competitiveness of scientific research, in 2016 a Center for Scientific Research (CNIR) was formed as a sub-organizational unit aimed at improving infrastructure, strengthening research capacities, and increasing investments necessary for conducting competitive and contemporary research in the field of biomedicine.
"Leading this Center since 2018, I have been entrusted with a very responsible task to form a laboratory for molecular medicine with a team of researchers and to integrate previously independent preclinical research groups with the aim of rationalizing resources, improving competitiveness and competitiveness at the national, European, and global levels. The work of the Center integrates laboratories with long-standing experience, which are an integral part of the faculty or are a teaching base as part of the Clinical Center of Montenegro, whose capacities are used for both teaching and research."
Professor particularly highlights that with the support of the University of Montenegro and the Medical Faculty, within the CNIR from 2018 to 2020, a laboratory for molecular medicine was formed which today is the backbone of research within the current scientific projects of the Faculty, as well as a place for training doctoral and masters students in molecular medicine. In 2022, a laboratory for cell cultures and a laboratory for spectrophotometry and polarography of proteins were also established, whose work will significantly enrich the possibilities and expand the field of action of Montenegrin scientists. Researchers at the Medical Faculty are now able to independently conduct reference research in various fields of medicine, using modern molecular biological and biochemical technologies.
"The Medical Faculty, through the Center for Scientific Research, as a research unit registered in the innovation activity registry of the Ministry of Economic Development, closely cooperates with the newly formed Institute for Advanced Studies of the University of Montenegro and its Center for Biomedicine, with the aim of increasing the excellence of research results, visibility, and competitiveness of our science in the European research space.
The purpose of the Center is to develop a research mission, as a driver of scientific activity and a core of developmental and innovative activities at the Medical Faculty, through an interdisciplinary approach, strengthening international cooperation, training doctoral students, and enhancing the mobility of students and teaching and scientific staff. I believe that in this way we are creating a stimulating atmosphere in which young researchers will have enough motivation to build their professional and scientific careers in Montenegro, with greater attractiveness of the Medical Faculty also for researchers from the region," states Miljanović.
With an optimistic view of all the innovations and positive transformations that the Medical Faculty, but also the complete UCG have experienced over the past decades, Professor Dr. Olivera Miljanović has sent congratulations to the University in anticipation of its 50th birthday.
"The University of Montenegro has an exceptional role in society and the state and this should remain constant! Any comparison that symbolizes its importance, such as a lighthouse, torchbearer, leader, seems to me inadequate and too colloquial. I wish that all involved in this university entity, from emeritus to freshman, despite the inevitable challenges that arise over time, share the same dedication to its mission, like Galileos dedication to science, whose evidence is incontrovertible. E pur si muove! To all members of the University, I congratulate the fiftieth anniversary, marked by enviable results, and I wish the University of Montenegro to always move, grow, and drive all social processes of progress in the development of Montenegrin society!" announces Miljanović.