Zvonko Kusić

Zvonko Kusić
Chairman of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 November 2011
Preceded by	Milan Moguš
Personal details
Born	14 June 1946 Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
Nationality	Croat
Alma mater	University of Zagreb
Profession	Physician
Signature

Zvonko Kusić (pronounced [ˌzʋǒːŋko ˈkǔːsit͜ɕ]) (born 14 June 1946) is a Croatian physician, professor of oncology and nuclear medicine, Head of the Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine of the Sisters of Charity University Hospital in Zagreb and President of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU). He is a Fellow of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (FCA).

Biography

Early life

He was born on 14 June, 1946 in Zagreb.

Medical career

Zvonko Kusić, FCA, is the Head of the Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine of the Sisters of Mercy University Hospital in Zagreb, which Department incorporates four chairs and three referral centers of the Croatian Ministry of Health and Social Care (for Melanoma; for Thyroid Diseases; and for Immunodiagnostics and Immunotherapy of Malignant Solid Tumors).

President of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) since 1 January 2011. Membership in HAZU: associate member 1992-2000; full member since 2000; Secretary of the Department of Medical Sciences and member of the Presidency 2004-2010. Doctor of Medicine (graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb); specialist in nuclear medicine; specialist in radiotherapy and oncology; Head of the Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine of the Sisters of Charity University Hospital in Zagreb (since 1990); full professor of oncology and nuclear medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb since 1992 (permanent position since 1999); full professor of oncology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb; Head of the Chair of General Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb.

Administrative positions

Zvonko Kusić, FCA, is the founder and has been Chairman of the Croatian Thyroid Society, Chairman of the Thyroid Diseases Reference Center and Chairman of the Commission on Endemic Goiter and Iodine Prophylaxis of the Ministry of Health and Social Care since 1992. He initiated the new Act on Salt Iodination, which was adopted in 1996. The result of that action was the elimination of goiter and other disorders caused by iodine deficiency, which was acknowledged by the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD).

Presently: member of the National Health Council; member of the Regional Council for Biomedical Sciences at the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports; member of the Council for Nuclear Medicine and of the Council for Oncology and Radiotherapy of the Ministry of Health and Social Care; member of the Board of Directors of the Croatian Oncology Society, member of the US-Croatian Oncology Task Force.

Previously: Director of the Sisters of Charity University Hospital, Zagreb; Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb; Advisor to the Minister of Health and Social Care; Chairman of the Regional Council for Biomedical Sciences at the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports; member of the Central Council of the Rectors Board; member of the Board of Directors, University of Zagreb; Chairman of the Board of Directors, University Hospital for Tumors, Zagreb; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vuk Vrhovac University Hospital for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders; Chairman of the Board of Directors, High Health School; member of the Board of Directors, Zagreb Emergency Medical Service; Vice-Chairman of the National Foundation for Science, High Education and Technological Development of the Republic of Croatia.

Research

Scientific training and invited professor at: Guy's Hospital, London; Michigan University, Ann Arbor; Cornell University, New York; Cincinnati Medical Center; National Institute of Health, Bethesda, USA; M. S. Course in Nuclear Medicine, London; American Thyroid Association Postgraduate Program, New York; Mayo Clinic Endocrine Course.

Field of specialty and scientific work: nuclear medicine and oncology; subspecialty: etiology, diagnostics, treatment and prevention of thyroid diseases, particularly malignant tumors. In this area, he successfully keeps lasting cooperation with the world's most prestigious medical centers, organizations and leading experts, such as: William Beierwaltes, David Becker, Eugen Saenger, Richard Benua, Francois Delange, Aldo Pinchera, and others.

Zvonko Kusić, FCA, published over 600 publications, a substantial number of which is indexed in tertiary publications and cited. He authored / edited a number of scientific and professional books, encyclopedic editions and textbooks. He was the principal researcher in a series of Croatian and a number of major international scientific projects (in cooperation with the Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration – FDA, USA; the International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA; the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC); UNICEF; ICCIDD; and others).

Zvonko Kusić, FCA, mentored 24 MSc and PhD theses. He had supervised many distinguished scientists and experts, who later became university professors and heads of many institutes and university chairs. He was invited speaker at numerous international symposia. He founded one of the societies of the Croatian Medical Association; initiated the establishing of three referral centers at the Croatian Ministry of Health and Social Care; initiated the foundation of a research institute; and co-founded two university chairs.

Memberships

Zvonko Kusić, FCA, is member of a series of professional and scientific Croatian and international associations and the representative of Croatia at the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders; he is further Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin of the Croatian Thyroid Society, associate Editor-in-Chief of the Libri Oncologici journal, and member of the Editorial Board of The Thyroid Gland – Clinical and Experimental. He used to be Editor-in-Chief of the internationally indexed Acta Clinica Croatica journal (Medline / Science Citation Index Expended).

Awards

• Order of Danica Hrvatska
• Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Award for exceptional and permanent contribution to medical science
• Croatian Life Achievement Award for Science
• Homeland's Gratitude Medal
• Order of the Croatian Trefoil

Sources

• Zvonko Kusić biography at the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts website