On Thursday, 12 March 2026, nine winners of the 12th International Medis Awards for Medical Research (IMA) were announced in Ljubljana. The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Nataša Pirc Musar, PhD, President of the Republic of Slovenia. For the twelfth year, the contest has been recognizing outstanding research achievements by doctors and pharmacists from eleven countries in Central and Eastern Europe. 

The winners of the 12th International Medis Awards are:

  • Jelena Petković-Dabić, MD, PhD, dermatology
  • Zdenek Rušavý, MD, PhD, gynecology
  • Helena Ostović, MD, PhD, intensive care medicine and anesthesiology
  • Berislav Ruška, MD, PhD, neurology
  • Leon Marković, MD, PhD, ophthalmology
  • Michaela Richtrová, MD, PhD, pediatrics 
  • Milica Bajčetić, MD, PhD, pharmacy
  • Prof. Liborija Lugović-Mihić, MD, PhD, pulmonology and allergology
  • Markéta Dudková, MD, PhD, rheumatology

The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia. At the ceremony, she said:

Every scientific article, every experiment, every study can be an important step on the long road to understanding. When these steps are combined, they create a path of learning and progress that the whole society follows. We can be proud that the initiative for this important international recognition originated right here in our region. Such projects not only contribute to greater recognition of our country in the international scientific community, but also provide a space for meeting, cooperation, constructive dialogue and knowledge exchange.

Louis Pasteur wrote that science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world. This is why scientific cooperation is, and must remain, one of the strongest foundations for mutual understanding, trust, peace and sustainable, mutual progress.


Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia


Tone Strnad, MPharm, founder of the International Medis Awards and the company Medis, emphasized in his speech:

The International Medis Awards focus on doctors and pharmacists—all those who, in addition to their regular work with patients, take on the additional responsibility of research and thus actively contribute to the advancement of medicine and pharmacy. Their discoveries are oriented towards the future—today we cannot yet know which of these studies will lead to major breakthroughs, but we do know that without them there can be no progress. The award itself, called The Future, symbolizes this openness—something new arising from knowledge and dedication.

Tone Strnad, MPharm
Tone Strnad, MSc Pharm


Encouraging Knowledge and Innovation in Central and Eastern Europe

Martina Perharič, MPharm, PhD, Chief Business Officer at Medis, highlighted the specificities of research in the region:

Scientific work in Central and Eastern European countries occurs in an environment that demands considerable initiative and professional maturity. Researchers often work without the broader infrastructure support that is taken for granted in some other environments, while remaining fully involved in clinical practice. These results are therefore not only important from the perspective of individual research, but also demonstrate the high level of knowledge and expertise in our region. This is the message we wish to convey clearly to the wider public with these Awards.


From left to right: Martina Perharič, MPharm, PhD, Prof. Janja Ocvirk, MD, PhD, Prof. Matej Štuhec, PhD, PharmD

Maja Strnad Cestar, MSc Economics, CEO of Medis, explained the importance of supporting the Awards:

Medis has been providing access to modern treatments in Central and Eastern European countries for almost 40 years. We believe that promoting research in these countries is one of the most important investments in the future and in a better quality of life for all of us. Therefore, we feel a responsibility to support and highlight cutting-edge achievements in medicine and pharmacy, which form the foundation of progress and new treatments. It is right to recognize the best among them, as their work brings hope for new therapies and a better future for patients.


Maja Strnad Cestar, MSc Economics


About the International Medis Awards

The International Medis Awards for Medical Research are an international award presented by an independent International Scientific Committee for outstanding research achievements in eleven countries of Central and Eastern Europe in nine medical fields. Each winner receives a bronze sculpture Bodočnost (The Future), a certificate and a small financial grant.

The Awards recognize outstanding doctors and pharmacists who are involved in research in addition to their regular work with patients. The aim of the Awards is to make these doctors and pharmacists known to the public, to spread the knowledge about their work and to encourage them and others to continue their research work. With their work, they contribute to important innovations in medicine and pharmacy and thus to more effective disease management. The Awards were founded in 2014 on the initiative of the company Medis, d.o.o. from Ljubljana, which is also the main sponsor.