Our Staff
Close collaborators
Prof. Dr. Marija Đurić, MD, PhD, Head of the Center of Bone Biology 
She is a full professor of Human anatomy, and more than 25 years ago, she founded the Laboratory of Bone Biology and Bioanthropology. She is one of the pioneers in Serbian bioanthropology, and since 1998 she has employed her anthropological skills in multi-disciplinary forensic teams, working on excavations of mass graves, anthropological analysis of skeletal remains, and identification of victims. She runs bioanthropology courses for international students and PhD course in Skeletal Biology. She is the leader of scientific projects dealing with the biological profile of skeletal remains, paleopathology, bioanthropology, bone ageing and bone fragility in ageing and chronic diseases. She wrote numerous high-impact papers and international book chapters in the area of bone biology, bioarchaeology, anatomy and forensic anthropology.
Danijela Đonić, MD, PhD, Full Professor of Human Anatomy
e-mail: danijela.djonic@med.bg.ac.rs
As a specialist in diagnostic radiology, she is in charge of connecting the basic and clinical aspects of bone research. Moreover, she has been involved in projects related to age markers of human skeletons, paleopathology, and forensic identification. Her main research interests include applying a variety of research tools to detect bone fragility determinants in patients with various stages of chronic liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis.
Petar Milovanović, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Human Anatomy
e-mail: drpmilovanovic@gmail.com
His main research interests include the examination of micro- and nanostructural determinants of bone strength and fragility in ageing and diseases, with a particular emphasis on osteocyte distribution and viability. His professional interests also include biomechanics, applied anatomy, and physical medicine and rehabilitation, with a particular focus on international and interdisciplinary collaboration. He has received numerous academic and scientific awards and scholarships, including the Best young scientist award from the Faculty of Medicine, DAAD and Alexander von Humboldt Fellowships, and ECTS Iain T Boyle Award for bone research. He has been an elected member of the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) Academy.
Ksenija Đukić, MA, PhD, Bioanthropologist and Archeologist, Research Associate
e-mail: ksenja.djukic@gmail.com
She is involved in anthropological analyses of skeletal remains, examination of the dental condition of individuals from a forensic and archaeological context, investigation of bone factors affecting the pattern of preservation of immature skeletal remains, paleopathological analyses, and macro- and micro-morphological examination of entheses. She graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Archaeology. Afterward, she enrolled in PhD studies at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade – course: Skeletal Biology and obtained PhD degree in 2016 with the Thesis titled “Bone macromorphology at muscle attachment sites: its relationship with the microarchitecture of the underlying bone and possible implications for the reconstruction of habitual physical activities of past populations” (PhD advisor: prof. dr Marija Đurić).
Jelena Jadžić, MD, PhD, Research Associate, Teaching Assistant of Human Anatomy
e-mail: jelena.jadzic2@gmail.com
Her research is primarily based on interdisciplinary work and on applying a variety of methodological approaches to assess bone alterations in aged individuals with chronic diseases. Also, she has an aspiration for animal model development and animal research. In 2022, she defended a PhD thesis titled: “The bone tissue changes in individuals with alcoholic and non-alcoholic chronic liver diseases” (PhD Advisor: Prof. Dr. Danijela Đonić). Based on her strong orientation towards international cooperation, she received the EU-funded ERAWEB mobility scholarship for research stay in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and the DAAD mobility grants for research stays in the Institute of Osteology and Biomechanics in Hamburg (Germany).
Aleksandar Ćirović, MD, Teaching Assistant of Human Anatomy, PhD candidate
e-mail: aleksandar.cirovic7@gmail.com
He is a medical doctor and works on his PhD thesis. His main research topic includes microarchitectural changes of bone during ageing and in systemic diseases (especially diabetes).
Tamara Pavlović, MA, Anthropologist and Archaeologist, PhD candidate
She graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Archaeology. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Skeletal biology course with a research thesis related to bioanthropological analyses of human skeletal material from Antique and Late Antique sites in northern Serbia (Sarmatian period). The focus of her thesis is taphonomical analyses of skeletal material, as well as mobility, identity and funerary archaeology of the Sarmatian population. Her research aspiration is for bioanthropological analyses of skeletal material from Late Antique and Early medieval cemeteries. She is active in the field of science promotion and popularization, as well as the education of young students.
Slobodan Nikolić, MD, PhD, Full Professor of Forensic Medicine
He is an experienced forensic expert and former Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Belgrade. He has a special focus on trauma and investigates diverse mechanisms and consequences of injury, including skeletal trauma in patients and individuals from a forensic context. In the Center of Bone Biology, he is primarily in charge of sampling and conduction of autopsies as well as correct classification of the individuals for the elimination of confounding factors in research.
Vladimir Živković, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine
He is an experienced forensic expert and the current Head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Belgrade. In addition to the rich autopsy experience and research expertise in the mechanisms of trauma, he is a specialist in pathology and contributes significantly to the histological analyses performed in the Center to ensure appropriate classification of the samples to the relevant groups by comorbidities.
Danica Đukić, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Forensic Medicine
She is a specialist in forensic medicine. In the Center of Bone Biology, she is primarily in charge of specimen collection and preparation and collection of medical data of the autopsied individuals for correct identification of comorbidities.
Jelena Sopta, MD, PhD, Full Professor of Osteopathology
She is the leading Serbian expert in bone and joint pathology. She is particularly interested in improving the understanding of musculoskeletal pathology with a special emphasis on disease pathogenesis and improved diagnostics. In the Center of Bone Biology, she is particularly involved in histological assessment and interpretation of the pathogenesis of the observed bone features.
Aleksandar Lešić, MD, PhD, Full Professor of Orthopedic surgery
He is an experienced orthopedic surgeon and has been a clinical advisor for bone research for years. He has a particular interest in the epidemiology and treatment of bone fractures.
Zoran Baščarević, MD, PhD, Full Professor of Orthopedic surgery
He is an experienced orthopedic surgeon with a particular interest in degenerative joint disease and hip fractures. In the Center, he is involved in patient recruitment and collection of clinical samples, as well as increasing the clinical relevance of our research.
Đorđe Ćulafić, MD, PhD, Full Professor of Internal Medicine (gastroenterology and hepatology)
He is an experienced clinician with a particular interest in hepatic diseases and their consequences on other organ systems, including the skeleton. In the Center of Bone Biology, he advises on clinical research and formulation of clinically meaningful research topics and interprets the clinical, biochemical, and metabolic status of the recruited subjects.
Aleksandar Maliković, MD, PhD, Full Professor of Anatomy
He is an elite anatomist with expertise in various methods of morphological evaluation, especially of the nervous system and neural connectivity. In the Center of Bone Biology, he is involved in the research of the brain–bone axis and clarifying the mutual relationships between the nervous and bone tissues.
Dragan Hrnčić, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Physiology
He is one of the leading experts in neurophysiology. In the Center, he is in charge of designing and conducting animal studies, interpretation of functional indicators, estimation of the clinical relevance of the obtained findings, and clarifying the bone–brain crosstalk.
Petar Milenković, MD, PhD, Radiologist
Experienced radiologist and research associate with a demonstrated history of working in hospitals and scientific environments. He is skilled in the fields of body and musculoskeletal imaging, healthcare information technology, picture archiving, and communication systems, paleoradiology, and micro-CT. Petar is keenly interested in acquiring more theoretical knowledge and practical skills in radiology, especially in integrating clinical practice with basic sciences. He obtained PhD degree at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade in July 2014 with a Thesis titled: “Age Estimation Based on Analyses of Sternal End of Clavicle and the First Costal Cartilage” (PhD Advisor: Prof. Dr Slobodan Nikolić). Member of the Laboratory research team since February 2003.
Đurđa Bracanović, MD, PhD
She is a specialist in dento-maxillofacial and head and neck radiology. She works as a radiologist and a teaching assistant at the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade. As a research assistant, she is a member of the research team of the Laboratory.
Her current areas of interest are a phenomenon of hyperostosis frontalis interna, multimodality imaging of head and neck pathology, application of DXA and micro-CT in the bone examination. She defended her PhD thesis entitled: “Radiological and immunohistochemical analyses of hyperostosis frontalis interna: multi-level approach to understanding the development of this phenomenon” (PhD Advisor: Prof. Dr. Danijela Đonić).
Ksenija Zelić Mihajlovic, DMD, PhD
She is a research associate at the School of Dentistry, University of Belgrade, working as a part of the research group at the Laboratory. She defended her doctoral thesis entitled: “Influence of nanostructure and chemical composition of dentin and stress distribution on fragility of endodontically treated teeth”, in the field of clinical dentistry, in 2014. She finished her residency in the field of Periodontics. Her research up to this point was focused on Finite Element Analysis in dentistry and dental forensics (in particular, in age estimation of dead and living), periodontics, and endodontics.
Aleksa Janović, MD, PhD
He is a specialist in dento-maxillofacial and head and neck radiology. He works as a radiologist and a teaching assistant at the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade. As a research assistant, he is a member of the Laboratory research team. He defended the PhD thesis entitled: “Microstructural adaptation of bone tissue of the facial skeleton to the distribution of occlusal load in dentulous subjects and its role in the development of the facial fractures” (PhD Advisor: Prof. Dr. Marija Djuric). His current areas of interest are biology and functional adaptation of facial bones to chewing, multimodality imaging (conventional, ultrasound, cone-beam computed tomography, computed tomography) of head and neck pathology, and paleopathology of inhumed and cremated skeletal remains.
Nataša Janović, MD, PhD
She is a radiollogy resident at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. She defended PhD thesis entitled: “Association of nasal septal deviation types with obstruction symptoms severity and characteristics of nasal airflow dynamics” at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade (PhD advisor: Prof. Dr Marija Đurić). Her research area of interest is the multidisciplinary investigation of nasal septal deviation and nasal airflow patterns (clinical, radiological, and computational fluid dynamics).
Teodora Rodić, DMD, PhD
She is a research fellow at the Center of Bone Biology. She defended PhD thesis entitled: “Bone quality analysis of jow bone in type 2 diabetes and alcoholic liver cirrhosis: anatomical and microstructural evaluation” (PhD advisor: assist. prof. Petar Milovanović). She was a DAAD-supported scholar for six months at the Institute for Osteology and Biomechanics in Hamburg, Germany, where she learned different methods of bone research: qBEI (quantitative Backscattered Electron Microscopy), RAMAN spectroscopy, and histomorphometry. Her fields of research and interest are: the influence of chronic diseases on maxillofacial bones, orthodontics and implantology. Up to date, Teodora has published papers in local and regional journals and had poster presentations at regional congresses.
Drago Jelovac, MD, DMD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Maxillofacial Surgery
He is a specialist in maxillofacial surgery, and in his clinical work, he mostly treats tumors of the oral cavity, salivary glands, face, head, and neck. In the Center of Bone Biology, he is involved in using innovative patient-specific surgical approaches to treat bone defects.
Milutin Mićić, MA, PhD
He graduated in Anthropology at the Faculty of Philosophy, University Belgrade. He has been actively involved in research activities at the Center of Bone Biology since 2014. His area of research is CT and CBCT radiological imaging, 3D modeling, 3D printing and bio-printing. He is currently enrolled in the Skeletal Biology PhD course, and the title of his PhD thesis is “Influence of the choice of Protocols on the accuracy of three-dimensional medical models, surgical guides and bone replacement“.
Igor Vaduvesković, MA, Archaeologist, PhD candidate
He finished primary and high school in Zaječar, where he was born in 1980. He has a degree in archaeology from Belgrade University, Faculty of Philosophy. However, most of his professional career is related to forensic archaeology, especially mass graves investigations. As a forensic expert, he worked for the Higher Court in Belgrade, Department for war crimes, District court in Belgrade, European Union Police Mission (EUPM) and International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). Now, he is enrolled in the Skeletal Biology PhD course at the Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade. His research interests are Forensic science, Forensic archaeology, Quantitative techniques, Site recording methodology, Bayesian statistics, Archaeogenetics, Biomolecular archaeology, Ancient DNA, Epigenetics, and Evolution.
Miloš Štulić, MD, PhD candidate
He is employed at the Clinic for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Clinical Center of Serbia. In addition to working in the hepatology department, he also performs a large number of diagnostic and interventional endoscopic procedures. He is a member of the liver transplant team and in recent years, he has published several papers in the field of hepatology. Due to his interest in bone metabolism in liver diseases, he enrolled on a Skeletal biology PhD course. In October 2020, he passed the specialist exam in internal medicine, and in May 2021 he was elected a clinical assistant in the field of internal medicine.
Veda Mikasinović, MA, Anthropologist and Archaeologist, PhD candidate
She finished her bachelor’s and master’s studies in the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. After multiple years of experience on a variety of archaeological sites, she enrolled in a skeletal biology PhD course. Her main focus is the analysis of osteological material from different archaeological sites, mostly dating to the early medieval and the great migration period.
Aleksa Leković, MD, Teaching Assistant of Forensic Medicine, PhD candidate
He is a medical doctor employed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Belgrade. In the Center of Bone Biology, he is responsible for specimen collection and preparation and collection of medical data of the autopsied individuals for correct identification of comorbidities. Currently, he is enrolled in PhD studies (course: Skeletal Biology) and a residency in Forensic Medicine.