Academy Members

Kusić Zvonko, F.C.A.

Academic titles:

• Fellow of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
• Doctor of Science

Institutions:

• Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia on social issues (05/01/2019 – …)
• President – Croatian Commission for UNESCO (2019. – …)
• President of the Management Board of the CASA Foundation (2019. – …)
• President of the Management Board  Aviva Polyclinic (2016 – 2021)

Functions in Academy:

• head of – Institute of Immunology and Tumour Genetics (10/31/2012 – …)
• chair – Committee on genomics and proteomics in oncology
• president – Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (01/01/2011 – 12/31/2018)
• secretary – Department of Medical Sciences (01/01/2004 – 12/31/2010)

Membership in Academy:

• full member – Department of Medical Sciences (05/18/2000 – …)
• associate member – Department of Medical Sciences (06/18/1992 – 05/18/2000)

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Biography

Zvonko Kusić, MD, PhD, was born on 14 June 1946 in Zagreb. Functions in the Academy: Associate Member 1992–2000; Full Member (FCA) since 2000; Secretary of the Department of Medical Sciences and member of the Presidency 2004–2010; President of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts 2011-2018.. Doctor of Medicine (graduated and received the doctorate from the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb); specialist in nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. He is President of the Board of Directors, Poliklinika Aviva; former Director of the Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine of the Sisters of Mercy University Hospital in Zagreb; full professor of oncology and nuclear medicine in permanent position, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb; Head of the Chair of the Clinical Oncology and of the elective course in Thyroid Diseases – Diagnostics and Treatment, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb. He was Director of the Sisters of Mercy University Hospital, Zagreb and Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb.

Special advisor for social affairs to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia since 2019.

He is president of the Board of the Foundation of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

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; and Mayo Clinic Endocrine Course.

Present functions: founder and Chairman of the Croatian Thyroid Society; Chairman of the Thyroid Diseases Reference Center and Chairman of the Commission on Endemic Goiter of the Ministry of Health; Head of the Board for Genomics and Proteomics in Oncology; Director of the Institute for Immunology and Tumor Genetics of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts; member of the Board of Directors of the Croatian Oncology Society; member of the US-Croatian Oncology Task Force; member of the Committee for Drafting Models for the Restructuring of Public Science Institutes in the Republic of Croatia; member of the Committee for Drafting the National Plan for Fighting Malignant Diseases; member of the Economic Council of the Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health; member of the Editorial Board of the journal Annals of Thyroid Research; member of the Committee for National Awards in Science and of the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for the support of student living standard; Chairman of the Council of the Croatian Science Foundation; of the Ethics Commission for the Election of Members of Croatian Parliament and the Election of Representatives of the Republic of Croatia in European Parliament; of the State Commission for Decorations and Acknowledgements of the Republic of Croatia; of the Vladimir Nazor Award Committee; and Committee Chairman in the National Scholarship-Awarding Program Women in Science.

He initiated the second Act on Salt Iodination in 1996. The result of that action was the elimination of goiter and other disorders caused by iodine deficiency, most importantly impairment in psychomotor development; this result is of utmost importance for any population. Consequently, Croatia was enlisted among countries that have resolved this important public health problem with great success – international acknowledgement by the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD).

Previous functions: Assistant Director, Deputy Director and Director of the Sisters of Mercy University Hospital, Zagreb; Vice-Dean and Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb; Chairman of the Board for Drafting Guidelines for the Education, Science and Technology Strategy of the Ministry of Science; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vuk Vrhovac University Hospital for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders; Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for Science, High Education and Technological Development of the Republic of Croatia; member of the National Coordination Board for Drafting the Education, Science and Technology Strategy; member of the National Health Council; Chairman of the Regional Council for Biomedical Sciences at the Ministry of Science and Technology; member of the Council for Nuclear Medicine of the Ministry of Health; Advisor to the Minister of Health; member of the Health System Organization Council; 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, High Health School; member of the Board of Directors, Zagreb Emergency Medical Service; and member of the Council for Oncology and Radiotherapy of the Ministry of Health.

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 enjoys international reputation and has been successfully cooperating with the world’s most prestigious medical centers, organizations, as well as with the world’s leading experts and scientists in the field of thyroidology (William Beierwaltes, David Becker, Eugen Saenger, Richard Benua, Francois Delange, and others).

Zvonko Kusić, FCA, was formerly Head of the Department within the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, incorporating four chairs and three referral centers of the Croatian Ministry of Health (for Melanoma; for Thyroid Diseases; and for Immunodiagnostics and Immunotherapy of Malignant Solid Tumors). He was the principal researcher in a series of Croatian and a number of major international scientific research 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 29 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; initiated the foundation of a research institute; and co-founded two university chairs. During a fifteen-year period, he was Editor-in-Chief of the internationally indexed Acta Clinica Croatica journal in English (Medline and Science Citation Index Expended). Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin of the Croatian Thyroid Society, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Libri Oncologici journal, and member of the Editorial Board of The Thyroid Gland – Clinical and Experimental. He published over 800 publications, which are cited in the most prestigious journals. He authored / edited a number of scientific and professional books, encyclopedic editions and textbooks.

Zvonko Kusić, FCA, is member of a series of professional and scientific Croatian and international associations, as well as of the Scientific Research Committee of the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb. He is furthermore representative of Croatia in the following organizations: International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders; Governing Council of the European Science Foundation (ESF); All European Academies (ALLEA).
He was president of the Council for Dealing with the Consequences of the Rule of Undemocratic Regimes.

The President of the Republic of Croatia awarded Zvonko Kusić, FCA, the Order of the Croatian Star for special merits in science. He further received the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Award for exceptional and permanent contribution to medical science in the Republic of Croatia; the Croatian Life Achievement Award for Science. He furthermore received two highly appreciated national awards for his exceptional achievements: the Homeland Gratitude Memorial Medal; the Order of the Croatian Trefoil; and the Lifetime Achievements in Oncology Award of the Croatian Oncology Society.