The Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka offers five doctoral study programs in the scientific field of biomedicine and health within the Doctoral School: Biomedicine, Clinical Medicine, Dental Medicine, Public Health and Health and Environmental Engineering. The Doctoral School in the scientific field of biomedicine and health is arranged as a form of structured education aimed at better organisation of doctoral studies by combining common mandatory courses and avoiding the multiplication of teaching hours for the contents that can be shared among doctoral studies, as well as increasing research and teaching capacities and promoting interdisciplinarity. Creating quality PhD holders within the study programs of the Doctoral School is a prerequisite for creating scientific and teaching staff and the development of the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka, as well as medicine in the wider region.
The Biomedicine study program is designed for the development of scientific-research staff and is intended for basic research in medicine. The Clinical Medicine study program is designed for the research needs of the departments and/or clinics of the teaching hospitals of the Faculty of Medicine, and the Dental Medicine study program is designed for the specific research needs of dental medicine. The Health and Environmental Engineering and Public Health study programs enable the production of interdisciplinary scientific research staff capable of proposing solutions necessary for sustainable development and public health prosperity in the region.
The development of basic, clinical and translational biomedical research and biotechnology contributes to the building of new knowledge and technological solutions that contribute to the development of the biomedical profession and the development of the local community by improving the population’s health through the use of different medical procedures and by strengthening entrepreneurship in biomedicine based on new knowledge and biotechnological innovations. The wider Rijeka region, whose development is mainly based on the maritime sector and tourism, requires quality development of highly differentiated medical procedures as an important export product (health tourism) that contributes to strengthening national and private capacities. Partnership with the industry and the business sector is an important segment of doctoral training that allows doctoral students, in addition to science education in a specialised field, to better understand and implement new technologies for economic development in the public and private sectors.
The Biomedicine study program is designed for the development of scientific-research staff and is intended for basic research in medicine, the Clinical Medicine study program is focused on clinical research and the Dental Medicine study program is designed for specific research needs of dental medicine. The Public Health and Health and Environmental Engineering study programs are designed to create an interdisciplinary scientific research staff oriented toward public health.
Basic information
- name of the study program: Doctoral School of Biomedicine and Health consists of five doctoral study programs:
- Biomedicine
- Clinical Medicine
- Dental Medicine
- Public Health
- Health and Environmental Engineering
- holder of the study program: University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine
- provider of the study program: University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine
- duration / ECTS credits: 3 years, without the possibility to attend classes part-time / 180 ECTS credits
- enrollment quota: 60 students combined for all study programs of the Doctoral School
Admission requirements
Completed university integrated undergraduate and graduate study in the scientific field of biomedicine and public health, as well as other related fields.
Enrollment dynamics/dates
Selection procedure for general topics/mentors and candidates
| Procedure | Responsible for implementation | Timeline of the procedure |
|---|---|---|
| Invitation to mentors to assess mentoring capacity | Faculty Council at the proposal of the Doctoral School Council | January to February |
| Evaluation of mentors and determination of mentoring capacity | Committee for Scientific Research Activity | January to February |
| Registration of general topics/mentors | Potential mentors | March to April |
| Evaluation of general topics | Committee for Scientific Research Activity | April to May |
| List of general topics/mentors | Faculty Council at the proposal of the Doctoral School Council and Committee for Scientific Research Activity | June |
| Call for applications for enrolment in the Doctoral School based on the list of general topics/mentors | Faculty Council at the proposal of the Doctoral School Council | June/July |
| Candidate interviews with potential mentors | Candidates | June/July |
| Candidate interviews with potential mentors | Mentors (organised by the Doctoral School Council) | July |
| Mentors form their own rank list of candidates by topics | Mentors | July |
| Final list of candidates for enrolment | Faculty Council at the proposal of the Doctoral School Council and Committee for Scientific Research Activity | September |
| Appeals | Doctoral School Council | September |
| Enrolment of candidates | Office of Science, Projects, and Doctoral Studies | September |
Tuition fee and payment method
The annual tuition fee is 1,990.84 EUR per academic year. According to the decision of the Dean, instalment payment is approved in the following way: 1st instalment upon enrolment of the academic year, 2nd instalment no later than 30 days from the date of payment of the first instalment and 3rd instalment no later than 60 days from the date of payment of the first instalment.
More information
Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka Doctoral School of Biomedicine and Health
Head of the Doctoral School:
Prof. Marina Šantić, PhD
marina.santic@medri.uniri.hr
Biomedicine doctoral study program
Head: Assoc. Prof. Vanda Juranić Lisnić, PhD
vanda.juranic@medri.uniri.hr
Health and Environmental Engineering doctoral study program
Head: Assoc. Prof. Darija Vukić Lušić, PhD
darija.vukic.lusic@medri.uniri.hr
Public Health doctoral study program
Head: Asst. Prof. Lovorka Bilajac, PhD
lovorka.bilajac@medri.uniri.hr
Clinical Medicine doctoral study program
Head: Asst. Prof. Marko Klarić, MD, PhD
marko.klaric@medri.uniri.hr
Dental Medicine doctoral study program
Head: Prof. Stjepan Špalj, DMD, PhD
stjepan.spalj@fdmri.uniri.hr
Office of Science, Projects and Doctoral Studies
Office Head: Mamaja Jančić, M.Ec.
mamaja.jancic@medri.uniri.hr
Koraljka Longin, M.Sc.
koraljka.longin@medri.uniri.hr
Adriana Francetić, M.PA
adriana.francetic@medri.uniri.hr
Doctoral School of Biomedicine and Health – Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka (uniri.hr)
Doctoral School webpage:
https://medri.uniri.hr/en/education/study-programmes/postgraduateuniversity-doctoral-study-doctoral-school/
Our doctoral students
| Year of obtaining a Ph.D. degree | Name and surname of the student/employer | Ph.D. thesis topic |
|---|---|---|
| 2022. | Ina Viduka / University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology | The Role of ATG5 in the Pathogenesis of Experimental Tularemia |
| 2020. | Ivana Vidović Zdrilić / University of Rijeka, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Department of Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry | The Role of aSMA-Expressing Perivascular Cells During Reparative Dentinogenesis |
| 2020. | Bruno Cvetković / Teaching Institute of Public Health “Dr. Andrija Štampar” | Determination of Styrene Released from Plastic Consumer Products Using Spectral Fluorescence Fingerprinting and Assessment of Its Health Risk |
| 2020. | Iva Potočnjak / University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry | Mechanisms of Action of Phytochemicals in Acute Kidney Damage by Cisplatin in Mice |
| 2018. | Marko Šestan / University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology | The Role of Viral Infections in the Development of Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes in Obesity |
Research questions/hypotheses addressed in defended doctoral theses
| Research questions/hypotheses | Name and surname of the doctoral student |
|---|---|
| By what mechanisms do phytochemicals achieve renoprotective effects in cisplatin therapy, and are there any adverse reactions between cisplatin and phytochemicals? | Iva Potočnjak |
| Is styrene released and to what extent is it released from polystyrene plastic packaging? What is the harm of the concentration that has been released from the packaging? | Bruno Cvetković |
| Can the role of ATG5-dependent autophagy in the intracellular life of F. tularensis subsp. holarctica strain LVS be demonstrated using in vitro and in vivo infection models? | Ina Viduka |
| What happens to blood glucose levels after a viral infection? | Marko Šestan |
| What is the role of αSMA perivascular cells during the formation of tertiary dentin? | Ivana Vidović Zdrilić |