The Bosnian-Herzegovinian-American Academy of Sciences and Arts (BHAAAS) holds two mega conferences every year that gather hundreds of world-renowned experts in two places. One must be held in the USA, and then the annual activities of the organization that gathers the most successful Bosnians and Herzegovinans on the North American continent are usually summarized, while the other, usually in the summer months, is organized in the home country, when our doctors and professors, their acquired knowledge, collected over the years at prestigious faculties, academies, and world-renowned hospitals, "transfer" across the ocean and give way to their colleagues in their homeland. We want to remind you about the organization that gathers prominent experts from BiH of origin in the USA and Canada, whose common goal is to help Bosnia and Herzegovina with their knowledge. It was founded in November 2007 in the USA with the original desire to connect the Bosnian diaspora in North America and Canada on professional and academic grounds, as well as to establish bridges of cooperation and exchange of knowledge between the BiH diaspora and scientific, academic, and cultural institutions in the mother country. The President of the Academy is elected for a mandate period of one year, and the current head is Prof. Dr. Emir Festić, who was happy to respond to our request for an interview. Kliker: Dr. Judging by the announcements, content, and participants of the festival, 11, BHAAAS Days in Sarajevo should be one of the first-class events in our home country this year. Therefore, tell us how things are going and what else needs to be done for everyone to be satisfied in the end. Dr. Festic: In general, preparations are going well. This year, for the first time, we hired a professional agency to raise the organization to a higher professional level. Although it may require more expenses at first glance, I think that as an organization we have grown enough, and the importance of our event is also such that it requires the level of professionalism to be raised. Early registration is open until May 31, and those interested will be able to register after that, but the registration price will be slightly higher. At this moment, I think the most important thing is to work on the further promotion of our manifestation: the 11th Days of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Sciences and Arts in BiH, so that all those who appreciate our work and want to exchange knowledge and experiences with us can register and plan promptly this period. Kliker: As before, the goal of such meetings is, of course, the transfer of knowledge from the top experts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. origin, who work at prestigious universities in the USA, Canada, and other developed countries, colleagues, and students in Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is why it seems important to me that you present this year's lecturers in more detail. Dr. Festic: In addition to our established members who have been coming to their homeland for the 11th year and organizing professional symposia, we always invite distinguished professors and lecturers from North America and the rest of the world. Since we have 18 symposia planned and each of them includes several guest lecturers, it is not easy to single out just a few. The preliminary program will soon be available on our website bhaaas.org. Also, for the first time this year, we plan to create a smart application for mobile devices with the entire program as well as notifications immediately before and during our event. In this way, we will save funds that would have been spent on printing brochures, which is also a step forward in the ecological sense. Klicker: It is not unimportant to say that all members of the Academy go to meetings at their own expense, use their free time and vacations, and do not receive any compensation for their efforts. Tell us how you motivate your membership to behave like that and are the authorities in our home country aware of it? Dr. Festić: Excellent question. As for the motivation of our membership, we do not have too many activities in this sense because a good number of members have decided to actively participate and contribute, both with their work and financially. If you look at it purely from a financial point of view, none of the members would be motivated to do this. It cannot be said that this is done for free, but a lot of effort, time, and money is invested in the preparations for these events. I don't know how to evaluate it, and it would be even more difficult to compensate it financially. On the other hand, I think that not everyone in BiH is aware of how much effort, effort, time, and even money we invest in this event and our other projects that help the homeland. Lately, through the preparations for the organization of our manifestation, I have noticed that we are often treated as a "rich diaspora," and the only language that is well understood in our negotiations is that of a financial nature. In order not to be misunderstood, however, I must point out the fact that some want to help, that is, they help. I would single out the Ministry for Refugees and Displaced Persons, which recognized the importance of BHAAAS and continuously allocated funds to help the organization of BHAAAS Day in BiH. Klicker: And what is the personal motive of Dr. Festić to help his homeland? Dr. Festić: Good and simple question, while the answer is very complex. No matter how many motives I list to you now, I will probably forget some, and some I am not even aware of. The facts are that we all come from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we still have our closest relatives and friends there, we spent the most beautiful days of our lives in our homeland and we felt the most terrible moments only because we wanted our homeland to survive. It can also be added that for the sake of our children and future generations, we want to somehow improve the situation in our homeland. There are a lot of other motives, but they are mostly intertwined with the ones mentioned. Kliker: Traces of previous meetings of BHAAAS in the homeland are visible in many health institutions throughout BiH. We are interested in whether there are such or similar traces in North America as well. Dr. Festić: One of the main reasons why we founded this organization is to strengthen our position in the United States because that is the only way we can contribute to the development of our motherland. and Herzegovina, but also beyond. This networking is very important, not only to help Bosnia and Herzegovina but also to better fit into life and work in North America. Kliker: The President of the Academy has a one-year mandate. What will be your legacy to the next BHAAAS President? In other words, what possibilities and potential does the Academy have at this moment? Dr. Festić: That's right, I'm halfway through my term. In addition to regular events that include days in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an annual meeting in the United States, I plan to connect with similar organizations primarily from North America and then around the world that aim to help Bosnia and Herzegovina. I call it the Bosnian American Network, or BAN, and we all know that the word ban has a special meaning in Bosnia since Kulina's ban. So far we have had very successful meetings with representatives of several organizations in North America, including Bosana, BHeart, and BAPA, as well as the New England Friends of BiH. It's a wonderful feeling to talk and share similar worldviews with successful, especially younger generations of Bosnians and Herzegovinans in North America. I also made some contacts with our people in Australia who are very active in similar fields and want to increase their activity. After the end of my mandate, I will have more time to devote myself to the globalization of our work. President of BHAAAS Prof. Dr. Emir Festić graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo in 1994, while he completed his specialization in internal medicine in New York. He completed his subspecialization in intensive care medicine and pulmonology at the Mayo Clinic in 2003 and 2005 with awards for the best subspecialist and the best research paper. Nine years later, he received his master's degree in translational research at the Mayo Clinic, and he received the title of full professor at the famous clinic in 2018. He was admitted to BHAAAS membership in 2009. H.Šetka (Kliker.info)
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