Biography
Dr. Sc. Damir Vrbanec was born in Zagreb, where he finished primary education and high school. He graduated from the Medical Faculty of the University of Zagreb, where he completed his postgraduate studies in biomedicine. He passed the specialist exam in internal medicine in 1984 at the KB "Sestre Milosrdnice". From 1985 to 1989 he worked as a specialist in internal medicine at the Clinic for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine of the KB "Sestre Milosrdnice".
From 1987-1989 He was a scholarship holder of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the Eppendorf University Hospital in Hamburg and worked in the laboratory for experimental medicine and in the department of internal medicine oncology. He also stayed at the same hospital as a 1994 Humboldt Fellow.
Since 1989, he has been working at the Clinic for Pathophysiology, KBC Rebro. In the same year, he was elected assistant. Since 1997, he has been the head of the clinical department. In 1998, he was recognized as a specialist in internal medicine oncology. In 1993, he was elected to the scientific-teaching title of assistant professor, and since 1998 he has been an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine. He has been a full professor since 2010. In 2002, he became the head of the Department of Internal Medicine Oncology of the Clinic for Oncology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, and he still performs this function today. He is the president of the Croatian Society for Internal Medicine Oncology of the Medical Association and the coordinator and leader of specialist training in internal medicine oncology at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia.
His professional work is related to oncology, both clinical and experimental, primarily malignant tumors of the breast and malignant tumors of the digestive tract. He participates in all forms of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, ie doctoral studies at the University of Zagreb. Head of the course Oncology Pharmacy within the specialist study and specialization in Clinical Pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb.
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATIONS:
Member of the Croatian Medical Association and the Croatian Humboldt Club.
The first President of the Croatian Society for Internal Medicine Oncology of the Croatian Medical Association.
Full member of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the European College of Oncology at the European School of Oncology (ESO).
Member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology / ASCO.
Member of the Scientific Council of COCOG (Central European Cooperative Oncology Group) (Vienna-Austria), and EORTC Breast Cancer Group (Brussels-Belgium).
Member of the Board of Directors of SEEROG / South Eastern European Research Oncology Group.
Member. Editorial Board of MEMO / Magazine of European Medical Oncology / Springer Verlag.
SCIENTIFIC PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
From 1996 to 2006, he was the head of scientific research projects at the Ministry of Science and Technology and an advisor on several other projects.
Since 2007, project leaders: "Breast cancer - molecular, genetic and clinical characteristics" no. 108-1080058-0046) of the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Croatia.
Head of the scientific program: "Predictive and prognostic significance of molecular markers of solid tumors" of the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Croatia.
Education
He graduated from the Medical Faculty of the University of Zagreb, where he completed his postgraduate studies in biomedicine. He passed the specialist exam in internal medicine in 1984 at the KB "Sestre Milosrdnice".
Publications
His Thesis is related to oncology, both clinical and experimental, primarily malignant tumors of the breast and malignant tumors of the digestive tract.