01.03.2011.
Interview with Major General Miodrag Jevtic, MD, the new rector of the Defense University
NEW MISSION OF MILITARY EDUCATION
My motto is that we can always do more and better. In this situation, I think we really can do more, on the basis of a powerful military education system that exists, and the academic and research potential that we have. Therefore, I took the post of the Rector of the newly established University of Defence, as a challenge with an ambition to turn it into a regional higher education military center, a respectable institution that will attract young people to come to the Serbian Armed Forces and be a strong support to our country in the years to come.
The Serbian government at a meeting held on 24 February passed the Decision on the Establishment of the University of Defence in Belgrade. Before establishing the university much had to be done and it is a continuous process that lasts for several years now. It was necessary to prepare everything necessary for the Government of Serbia to adopt this decision and to obtain license from the Ministry of Education. The University of Defence is becoming an integral part of higher education in our country, and already, the decision of the Serbian universities conference was to make it a full member of the conference, with all rights and obligations that membership implies. With the first Rector of the University of Defence, Major General prof. Miodrag Jevtic, MD, discusses the requirements for successful functioning of the university and the possible contributions of new scientific institutions, both in the defense and into the higher education and research process in Serbia.
General, you face the job of laying the foundations for a new scientific institution. What is the vision of the University of Defence, what are its goals and purpose?
- In the reform process the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia, the establishment of the University of Defense is very important, and its main task is to harmonize the system of military education. It is a well known fact that the military education and the research work in the defense system, done in several institutions, have been highly developed for several decades now. The general estimation is the need to merge these activities into a single organizational and functional unit, of higher education and research in the defense system, and our intention is to be get integrated into the higher education in the Republic of Serbia. It is our key goal and task to use everything we have rationally, to integrate resources and take advantage of our huge professional, scientific and academic potential which will be placed at the service of the system and the state.
How did this process develop and which course did it take and in which order were the steps made? What was the general plan to do and what has been done in the meantime?
- We have established the basic framework of what was intended. With the integral components of the University being the Military Medical Academy, Military Academy and the Military Technical Institute, and these are institutions that have accredited their study programmes in several defined fields – social sciences and humanities, technical, technological and medical sciences. These programs have their own accredited study tracks which would enable us to realize all three levels of university education. This ensures that in the future at the University of Defense achieve what until recently was not recognizable, and that is that the academic and research work is evaluated and the defense system, but also in the higher education system of our country.
That means that in the future we will be able to do some of the things that have not been possible so far, or in addition to academic study programs we offer also integrated academic studies, master, academic specialist, doctoral studies, which are all of strategic importance for the survival of higher education in the defense system. In this way, we will be able to solve several problems, such as the outflow of resources, while preserving our specific characteristics, qualified personnel and ensure that the process is not interrupted. The aim is also to establish cooperation with colleagues at other universities in Serbia and the universities abroad.
What are the study tracks of the three scientific fields you mentioned?
- The field of medical sciences involves what we have done so far, and as is known, we are currently educating and training the second generation of cadets at the College of Medicine. With the founding of the University, this institution will change its status only in terms of terminology, becoming the School of Medicine of the defense system, with the graduates having the same rights and the same status after graduation, as in all medical schools in the country.
In the other two scientific fields - the social-humanistic and technical-technological sciences – there are six accredited programs. These include the management in defense, military aviation, logistics, defense, military electrotechnical, military machine and military chemical engineering.
Cadets are already being enrolled in these study programs at the Military Academy and these study tracks are long present. The Military Technical Institute has also had its their scientific research programs accredited.
Merging scientific fields, and all programs in the form of turning it into an integrated university, which has been defined rationally, more effectively and in the long-run will certainly bring a new quality.
What is the experience of other countries that you took into account when forming our University of Defense?
- We have used many experiences, both of our and foreign universities, with whom we have established contacts while working on this project. We informed ourselves in terms of tasks, duties and problems related to the establishing a university. A few years ago we established cooperation with the University of Defence of the Czech Republic, whose experiences we regard as highly beneficial, and this same university is even beyond Czech border an example of how to integrate military and civilian education and improve quality with this synergy.
We still have to make use of the experiences of other renowned military universities, and there are many such universities around the world, in the United States, Russia, China, and to sublimate them in accordance with the current demands of the academic community and standards in Europe and the world.
Our goal is to create a corporate identity of the university that would become widely known, which would attract prospective cadets, both male and female, who as they are once again opting for military calling, will be trained for life and will undergo military education. These young people in this way offers a guided career, which is now a rarity, and their qualifications to enable them to later work and in other institutions, not only in the military system.
The forming of the University of Defence will contribute to the academic community of our country, to accept the university level personnel in the defense system as an integral part of the university and the academic process of Serbia. We do not want a parallel system, but rather a functional integration of academic and research process in the country.
Are there others apart from cadets, who want to apply and acquire knowledge at the University of Defence?
-Even as we speak, in our Medical School we have two foreigners in the study programs, and next year, according to the announcements, we will have a colleague from one African country join us. There are eight foreigners currently attending the Military Academy, who were received full scholarships from their governments.
Our goal is to turn the University of Defense into a renowned, and referential institution, or a brand, as it is popular to say nowadays, in the sphere of military education and we count most seriously on gathering a strong team of experts and create such study programs that will be equally be attractive for the members of foreign armed forces, as well as for our young men and girls.
Do we have the necessary educational and scientific base?
- So far, the big problem was that neither the Military or the Military Academy could organize doctoral studies. Part of our personnel were therefore referred to civilian universities, with whom we have excellent cooperation, thus forcing us to spend some of the budgetary funds in an unplanned manner.
I would like to point out that we have an exceptional academic resource, potential teachers that we have managed to preserve over the years and develop, who are able to convey knowledge. In this sense, we are creating more quality, people who will be the main bearers of academic and research activities next year, serving as a role model for young people.
The MMA currently has 128 teachers, assistant professors, part-time and full tenure professors, which is unprecedented in the MMA’s history. It is a strong academic potential, which Serbia so far has not used the right way. Medical students were not in a position to hear what the teachers and professors of the MMA, doctors from the hospital, can tell them, as over the past disastrous twenty years they were the ones who had the opportunity to work in conditions of mass disasters, war being the most devastating of all thus gaining massive experience.
In this way we use our resources, and we would not be able to accredit our School of Medicine, of the University of Defence had we not met these criteria, which means having professional staff, professors, teachers, teaching assistants, scientists, affiliated lecturers...
The same applies to the Military Academy and our institutes, despite a significant brain drain. We have managed, again, to keep respectable people, who can carry out all learning and accredited programs; otherwise we would not get accreditation. Let me point out that in the process of getting the required accreditations we were not privileged at all. On the contrary, we were faced with many problems enabling us to emerge as a quality institution and to demonstrate our potential, resources, quality.
The second segment is that of facilities. We have provided for current and future cadets everything necessary during the studies, so that after graduation they are fully trained to assume responsibilities that await them in the defense and the Army of Serbia.
The third segment s that of technology. Thanks to good cooperation with home universities, but also with other universities abroad, we established a ring of institutions helping each other to provide everything necessary for the realization of the process. This cooperation was alive before establishing the University of Defense Cooperation and it will surely continue.
What do you expect in the future work of the University?
- I expect a lot of work, the duty of a responsible and significant support of defense and the Army of Serbia. I have been an officer for a long time , with enough experience to recognize things that can be improved in the system. If we manage to integrate everything we have into a process that may well be better then these wile be the advantages of the system, which will no longer spend funds irrationally as well as staff and resources, but will rather combine resources from our institutes and make them more powerful whole, where they make plans and devise medium-term and long-term activities, which will include the scientific research process and our civil and scientific institutes, while we will participate in them as well. I expect to provide funding for these programs, since the status of a university institution will enable us to do so. I would also like to announce the results, I am sure we will yet achieve, because we have leaders in many areas and prominent experts who can be of great benefit when it comes to the defense system and the science in Serbia, and beyond.
After six years as the top man of the Military Medical Academy, which would be the most prominent results you would like to single out?
- I was appointed Chief at the time when this institution was not sufficiently recognized in our community. We were then the federation, the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro which had no place in the health system of Serbia. I am proud of forming a team of good co workers and good staff, I did not do anything by myself nor any chief is capable to do so, it is all thanks to good team work.
We managed to demonstrate that Serbia needs such an institution as the MMA. It is much easy to destroy something, but it is difficult to create an institution, of such the reputation and standing, not only in the region but also worldwide. It was very difficult. We defined the goal, had a vision, relied on our own personnel, made plans for the strengthening of all segments, especially those which have been severely weakened, and worked hard and persistently. Today, according to the experts from the military establishment of the European countries, the MMA the third top military medical institution in the world in terms of the resources, potentials and results it achieves. This is a rewarding thing. It brings me satisfaction that my work and that of my associates has been recognized.
Another fact that I would like to mention is that we have managed to revitalize the weak links in the institution, to make them stable thus making the MMA an institution that nothing can harm. Our nation needs it for all time.
I am proud that I, as someone who has dedicated himself to this house, is in the service of people and the Army have in recent years sent than 60 young and middle aged doctors into the world, to be trained in the most eminent foreign and European centers, from Houston to Tokyo. They have returned and are now carriers of the profession. This is our biggest investment, our institution’s main resource.
The next segment that stands out is that we managed, after several decades, to neutralize the animosity, vanity between civilian and military health care, to unite these two health care systems, to co-operate and be in the service of the people and the military. From 1 January 2008 we functionally integrated 40 percent of capacity in the health care system of Serbia, and as of 3 March 2010 every Wednesday our emergency center is on call for all the citizens of Belgrade and throughout Serbia.
This method has provided us with additional funding and managed to renew the technological capacities of the MMA, where we had the strong support from the Ministry of Defence and Minister of Defence especially. Today, we have the most advanced medical devices for rapid diagnosis, treatment and thus shortening the waiting lists. We have installed and already have put the latest 64 and 128 slice scanners into operation, a 3 Tesla MRI, hyperbaric center, digital mammography, ultrasound examinations...
Furthermore, good cooperation with the media, a sort of strategic partnerships as we called it, has led to the MMA coming into the media spotlight, being present in the general public in Serbia, so everyone knows what and how we do things.
I especially want to emphasize the cooperation with medical schools in the country, which was unimaginable until recently. However, on 17 November last year, the MMA held , what I would call, a historical meeting, with the dean of medical school, where we made a strategy for future cooperation and I am really very proud of it.
We have adopted many new methods of diagnosis and treatment, and started implementing them just a month later. These are the latest methods used in the world, such as the transplantation program of the liver, kidney, bone marrow and stem cells, including minimally invasive, vascular surgery and endoscopic procedures.
Therefore, for all these results achieved, on 27th December last year we were presented the award of the Clinical Center of Serbia – a Sundial. There is no greater recognition than the recognition thus tentatively awarded by the other medical institution we try to compare with . I am personally very pleased that the two main pillars of the Serbian health care - the MMA and the Clinical Center of Serbia – go hand in hand.
In MMA we have completed a new formation which will remain as a good basis for further development of this institution.
General, after being the Head of the MMA you were appointed Rector of the University of Defence, with a new mission in educational and research system in Serbia?
I dedicated myself professionally to the Military Medical Academy. My motto is that we can always do more and better. Therefore, I took up the post of the Rector of the newly established University of Defence as a challenge with an ambition to turn it into a regional higher education military center, a respectable institution that will attract young people to come to the Serbian Armed Forces and be a strong support to our country in the years to come. The ceremony of passing over the duty of the Head of the MMA will be performed bearing in mind the deepest interests of the institution. Even as the Rector of the new Defence University I will continue to support its further development, because the University should enable further development of science, scientific methods in Serbia, to enable the people educated around the world to perform these tasks, to make them leaders in their profession, and that is the task of the university.
A RESPECTABLE INSTITUTION
The Defense University is an institution as a legal entity, with its own executive, management, and professional bodies , directly subordinated to the Minister of Defence, for all its duties and obligations. The fact that we grapple with the very important things like maintenance staff, investment in human resources and integration into the educational system of our country, shows that the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia persevere on the path of fulfilling all three assigned missions.
This means that we are ready to be active members of peacekeeping missions which is what we train our staff for, but we are also ready to become a regional center of university education, for which there is enviable potential. The Ministry of Defence will thus get a respectable institution that will succeed in the future in contributing to strengthening the credibility, to stimulate young people to join the SAF and thus be a strong support of our country in the years to come.
HIGHLIGHTS
The key objective of the University’s mission is to use all the resources rationally, to integrate resources and take advantage of professional, scientific and academic potential is huge and that will be put at the service of the system and the state.
The integral parts of the University of Defence will be the Military Medical Academy, Military Academy and the Military Technical Institute, and these are institutions that have accredited their study programs in several defined fields – social sciences and humanities, technical, technological and medical sciences.
General-Dr. Miodrag Jevtic graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1981, having completing residency in general surgery in MMA 1992. He defended his PhD thesis titled "The value of new methods of assessing the severity of war injuries for a unified surgical war doctrine" in 1997. In December 2008 he was appointed full tenure professor of surgery at the MMA .
He was promoted extraordinarily two times, and was promoted into the rank of Major General in the Medical Service of the Serbian Armed Forces in 2005. He is a distinguished member of several professional associations of surgeons in the country and abroad.
