About the authors

Biography of  Tenured  Professor Zrinka Jajić, MD, PhD

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Jajić, Zrinka, Croatian rheumatologist (borne in Zagreb on  January 13, 1962). Graduated from the School of Medicine, University  of Zagreb (1985) and obtained a doctorate in rheumatology (1991). During her medical studies she was twice the winner of the Rector’s Award of the University of Zagreb. She specialized in physical medicine and rehabilitation in 1992 and became a subspecialist in rheumatology in 2003.

Full professor at the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb since 2007 (permanent position since 2012), where she is the Head of the Postgraduate Specialist Study in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (since 1998).

The Head of the Rheumatology Ward of the Department  for Rheumatology, Physical Medicine, and Rehabilitation of the School of Medicine University of  Zagreb, Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Centre, of the Referral Centre for Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia (1998-2013), where she has worked since 1986.

She carried out professional and scientific training at the Department of Rheumatology, Guy’s Hospital, London (1988), at the Rheumatology Department, University Hospital Centre, Ljubljana (1989), and at the Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital, Birmingham (1990).

Fields of her  speciality and scientific work is  the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of rheumatic diseases, especially spondyloarthritis.

Active scientist and collaborator on a respectable number of international projects (12), scientific projects of the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Croatia (6), and the Croatian Science Foundation (7), as well as professional (4) projects.

As a co-author, she has published 16 books in the field of rheumatology and physical medicine, some of which are firsts in Croatian professional literature, intended for undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the School of Medicine University of Zagreb, as well as the continuing education of specialist/subspecialist doctors. Co-author of a monograph on the development of the medical branch of rheumatology, published in English (2008). She is a co-author of manuals for patient education published by the Croatian League Against Rheumatism. She has published over 300 scientific and professional publications. The list of published works is available in the Croatian Scientific Bibliography (CROSBI).

Invited lecturer and author of introductory lectures at international and domestic professional meetings and scientific institutions (since 1988). Long-term lecturer of continuing education courses for specialists/subspecialists doctors organized by the School of Medicine University of  Zagreb and the Croatian Rheumatology Society of the Croatian Medical Association (since 1995).

Leader of the First Croatian Low Back Pain Day within the World Health Organization project “A Decade of Joint and Bone Diseases” (Zagreb, 2004) dedicated to the beginning of anti-TNF therapy in the treatment of spondyloarthritis in Croatia.

She is the main mentor (since 2000) and member or president of the examination commission (since 1998) of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia for doctors specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation and subspecializing in rheumatology.

She has influenced the development of rheumatology in Croatia with her outstanding continuous participation in the education of doctors, as well as her scientific and professional contribution.

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