I completed my studies in mathematics at the former Faculty of Science and Mathematics (PMF), and later earned my master’s degree at the Faculty of Mathematics, specializing in Applied Mathematics. For many years now, I have been employed at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, not only as a statistician for clinical biostatistics and research projects, but also as an analyst for IT and other innovations in healthcare that require numerous and rapid practical solutions or drive significant changes in routine practice.
Based on my extensive experience in the healthcare sector, I can confirm that many mathematical disciplines and methods have been indispensable for decades in successfully planning and conducting research in healthcare. Yet, there are still—and constantly—emerging new questions and numerous problems for which current theoretical and practical approaches do not offer adequate answers or solutions. Most of these problems are, in fact, a challenge specifically for mathematicians.
The Faculty of Mathematics not only provides a broad and thorough mathematical education, but it also sharpens one’s ability to think logically, clearly identify the essence and edge cases, summarize, generalize, and differentiate. That is why I believe mathematicians are, more than many other professions, capable of making a significant contribution to scientific research as well as to a wide range of practical roles that demand mathematical expertise in the process of finding, constructing, and proposing concrete solutions.