Improving the healthcare system involves investments in equipment, but also investments in people, knowledge, and the international exchange of experience. It is precisely on this idea that the cooperation between the Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS) and the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo (KCUS) is based — a cooperation that, over the past year, has taken concrete shape through joint activities aimed at strengthening the capacities of intensive care medicine at KCUS.
During an official visit to KCUS in November 2025, former BHAAAS President Prof. Dr. Adnan Begović, a specialist in intensive care and pulmonary medicine, Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Sarajevo, met with KCUS General Director Prim. Doc. Dr. Sc. Alen Pilav to discuss opportunities for long-term cooperation in medical education, the development of clinical practices, and the international exchange of knowledge.
“As the largest healthcare institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina, KCUS has a responsibility to continuously invest in knowledge, people, and the development of modern clinical practices. Cooperation between KCUS and BHAAAS represents an opportunity to provide our physicians, nurses, and medical technicians with access to international experience and models of work applied in leading healthcare centers. This is especially important in the field of intensive care, where knowledge, teamwork, and standardized protocols are often decisive for treatment outcomes,” said Dr. Pilav, adding that connecting domestic healthcare institutions with international experts is one of the important steps toward strengthening clinical practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
One of the key conclusions of the meeting was the need to further strengthen intensive care departments, particularly through continuous professional development for intensive care physicians, clinical pharmacists, nurses, and medical technicians. Experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic further demonstrated how crucial work organization, standardized protocols, a team-based approach, and specialized education are for the treatment outcomes of critically ill patients.
As a result of these discussions, an initiative was launched for KCUS intensive care medical staff to participate in educational programs and professional training at the University Hospital in San Diego, where Prof. Dr. Begović works. The goal of this cooperation is not only the transfer of individual skills, but the development of a sustainable model of work that brings intensive care closer to modern international standards and global best practices.
Prof. Dr. Adnan Begović emphasized that, through projects like this, BHAAAS fulfills one of its most important missions: the exchange of knowledge from the diaspora with institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Our wish is not for this cooperation to remain at the level of protocol meetings, but for it to result in concrete programs that change practice and bring direct benefits to the healthcare system and patients in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Intensive care is a complex, interdisciplinary, and resource-demanding segment of modern medicine, in which the education of the entire team — from physicians to nurses and medical technicians — is of crucial importance. Through cooperation between KCUS, BHAAAS, and our international partners, we want to create space for continuous education, the exchange of experience, and the introduction of standards comparable to those applied in modern global centers,” said Prof. Dr. Begović.
This initiative will have its natural continuation through the International Symposium: Intensive Care Medicine, which will be held as part of the 17th Days of BHAAAS on Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in the Grand Amphitheater of the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo.
The symposium, titled “Core Principles of Modern Intensive Care,” is organized under the patronage of KCUS. The program is designed as an expert lecture followed by a panel discussion on the principles of modern intensive care, the organization of contemporary intensive care units, and the possibilities of applying international standards in the regional healthcare context.
“This symposium is an opportunity to bring together people who work every day with the most critically ill patients, as well as experts who can offer experiences from different healthcare systems. I believe that precisely this kind of exchange can help us jointly identify what can be improved immediately and what should be developed through long-term education programs and institutional cooperation,” added Prof. Dr. Begović.
A special value of the symposium lies in the fact that the lectures are free of charge for participants, making contemporary professional knowledge more widely accessible to medical professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to its educational component, the event also represents an important platform for networking, connection, and the establishment of new forms of cooperation among healthcare institutions, clinicians, researchers, and experts from the diaspora.
This gathering represents a unique opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as for joint reflection on the fundamental principles of planning, organizing, and developing a modern intensive care unit adapted to local needs and capacities.
Through initiatives such as this, BHAAAS and KCUS reaffirm their shared commitment to connecting science, clinical practice, and international experience with the aim of creating sustainable change, strengthening professional capacities, and improving the quality of healthcare in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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