EXCLUSIVE
During her 15 years of work at the „Sveti Duh“ Clinic, Kupešić was engaged as a teacher at the postgraduate studies
Kupešić: Izetbegović did not take exams at my class. Avaz
"I enrolled postgraduate studies on March 2nd, 1993 at the University of Zagreb - Faculty of Medicine. All classes - lectures, practical work and consultations, as well as exams were conducted in English. Unfortunately, due to political circumstances, I had to leave Zagreb without passing four out of the 14 exams. Please allow me to take the remaining exams and write my master's thesis. "
This was written by Sebija Izetbegović, director of the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo (KCUS), on August 10th, 1994, in a request to the Council for Scientific Research and Postgraduate Studies in Sarajevo. Sebija enclosed a postgraduate student booklet with her request. However, there is no list of the ten certified exams she said she passed out of 14 exams.
On the other hand, Sebija wrote in her biography in June 1996:
"During my specialization, I spent a year at the 'Sveti Duh' Clinic in Zagreb, where I completed a postgraduate study for foreigners in English, 'Ultra Sond in Ciniclao Medisin'. In Zagreb, I also attended the Ian McDonald seminar for the clinical use of ultrasound. ”
However, Professor Sanja Kupešić, whom Sebija Izetbegović publicly thanked for her support during her doctoral defense, and who worked at the „Sveti Duh“ Clinic from 1987 to 2006, said in an exclusive interview for „Avaz“ yesterday that she does not remember that dr. Izetbegović "was a registered student of formal ultrasound postgraduate classes in Zagreb" nor that she took exams at her class.
- During 15 years of work at the Clinic "Sveti Duh" I was engaged as a teacher in the postgraduate study "Ultrasound in gynecology and obstetrics in Croatian and English", and for more than 10 years I taught the course "Ultrasound in human reproduction", also at in Croatian and English, and was an examiner at the exams - said Kupešić.
For the past 15 years, she is living and working in the United States as a professor of gynecology and obstetrics and is a vice dean at El Paso School of Medicine in Texas.
While she was living in Zagreb, she was working at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics as the head of the Department of Human Reproduction, Infertility and Menopause.
- I remember that Sebija Izetbegović came to my ultrasound clinic for a short time as an observer. I have always taken education seriously and I was glad to share my knowledge and practical experience about new ultrasound techniques with all colleagues during education, including Dr. Izetbegović.
I don't remember Dr. Izetbegović was a registered student of formal ultrasound postgraduate classes, nor did she take an exam at my class. This is an easily verifiable fact, because the attendance of classes and practical work, which are a pre-condition for taking the exam, as well as the score achieved in the exam are recorded and easily verifiable at the Faculty of Medicine - said Kupešić.
Also, as Kupešić said, she does not remember that “Dr. Izetbegović independently or under supervision performed any examinations or did specialization, because she should have a permit from the Ministry of Health, in accordance with the Rulebook on specializations and narrower specializations ”.
- This information is certainly available and easily verifiable with the competent ministry. I also don't remember Dr. Izetbegović participated in the scientific research work of our team as an independent researcher or research associate, nor that she collected original data for the preparation of her master's degree or doctorate. This fact is easily verifiable because for each teaching project a letter is sent to the Ethical Trust of the hospital, which, in accordance with the Health Care Act, the Statute of the hospital and the Rules of Procedure of the Ethics Committee, approves scientific projects and dissertations - said Kupešić.
Kupešić says that the postgraduate studies were guided by the Ordinance on postgraduate professional studies at the Medical Faculty of the University of Zagreb.
- Every registered postgraduate student in "Ultrasound in Gynecology and Obstetrics" in Croatian or "Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology" in English, who successfully completed the curriculum (regularly attended classes and practical work, more than 80 percent), gained the right to take the exam, during which she/he received a record with a list of questions and grade, which was entered into the student booklet with the date and signature of the examiner - explained prof. Kupešić.
- To my knowledge, Dr. Izetbegović was never part of our scientific research team nor did she have access to the data of patients treated at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Clinic "Sveti Duh" which she could use to prepare her master's thesis or doctoral dissertation - added Kupešić.
