Prim. Dr. Sci. Med. Snežana Šušnjar, Senior Research Associate
Dr. Snežana Šušnjar is an internal medicine specialist and oncology subspecialist with decades of experience in clinical work and oncology research. For over 36 years she worked at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia as Head of the Intensive Oncology Care Unit within the Department of Supportive Oncology and Palliative Care. Her particular areas of interest are breast cancer treatment and supportive oncology, primarily oncofertility. Through her work, she has significantly contributed to the development of a multidisciplinary approach in oncology.
She graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade in 1986, where she completed her specialization in internal medicine (1994) and subspecialization in oncology. Her scientific advancement began with master's studies in oncology and the defense of her master's thesis on 'The Influence of Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy on the Immune Status of Patients with Lung Cancer' (1997). She defended her doctoral dissertation in 2009 on the topic 'The Significance of c-erbB-2 Gene Amplification in Stage I/II Hormone-Dependent Breast Cancer'.
She completed training at numerous international programs, including the FECS, AACR, and ASCO course 'Methods in Clinical Cancer Research' in Flims (Switzerland, 2000), as well as a study visit to the René Huguenin Center in France (2007). Since 2002, she has held the title of Primarius. She obtained the scientific title of Research Associate at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia in 2009, and became Senior Research Associate in 2022. She was a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade from 2017 to 2022. She participated in establishing and teaching at the subspecialization program in medical oncology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, and is a lecturer at the subspecialization programs in oncology and radiation oncology.
She participated in several projects of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, the most significant being: Cancer and Pregnancy (III 41023) and Identification of Molecular Markers for Prediction of Tumor Progression, Response to Therapy and Disease Outcome (III 41031). She accredited the Oncofertility Clinic at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia in 2021. Dr. Šušnjar has extensive experience in conducting clinical studies – she has participated in more than 40 clinical trials. As author and co-author, she has published over 80 scientific and professional papers, chapters in monographs and textbooks. She was involved in several international academic studies dedicated to breast cancer in young women (IBCSG 24-02 / BIG 2-02 SOFT study, ETOP – IBCSG 14-48 Positive study).
She is an active member of numerous professional associations - SLD, UMOS, ESMO, SDIR, MASCC, and SASCC. From 2013 to 2018, she served as Serbia's national representative in the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and was a member of organizational and scientific committees at numerous domestic conferences. Through her clinical, scientific, and educational work, Prim. Dr. Sci. Med. Snežana Šušnjar is recognized as a physician and researcher dedicated to advancing oncology practice and quality of life for patients in Serbia.