Successful Completion of “Comparative Public Health: Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina“ Summer Program 2025
Earlier this month the University of Sarajevo hosted and successfully completed another study abroad program “Comparative Public Health: Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina“ of Northwestern University from Evanston, Il. The program has been under way for a number of years in cooperation with the University of Belgrade and Northwestern University, featuring a rich and dynamic content aimed at exploring public health, cultural diversity, and socio-political relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This year, the implementation of the program included interactive learning sessions, substantive discussions, and two study trips in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Northwestern students got a chance to visit numerous cultural and historical sites, with special emphasis on the centuries-old multicultural heritage of Sarajevo and Mostar. A particularly poignant study opportunity was the visit to the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center and Cemetery where the students learned about complexity of dealing with the past and building trust in post-conflict communities after the genocide in Srebrenica.
Within the health course, students attended lectures in the fields of public and mental health, also paying visits to primary and secondary health centers, a healthy aging center and mental health support organizations, thus exploring on-site the public health system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thanks to these activities, Northwestern students gained insight in the challenges and potentials of health policies in the local context. Direct communication with staff who contributed to the planning and implementation of the program in the health institutions enabled the American students to broaden their theoretical knowledge and experiences through the specific characteristics in Bosnia and Herzegovina but also in a wider, regional context.
The program is of exceptional importance for the University of Sarajevo as its dedicated staff, both administrative and academic, including the program coordinator Prof. Ksenija Kondali and one of its leading lecturers, Prof. Amir Duranović, was actively involved in all phases of its implementation, affirming the institutional commitment to academic excellence and international cooperation. This study abroad program represents an important platform for the strengthening of the partnership with highly-ranked US higher-education institutions, and in particular with Northwestern University, advancing the role of the University of Sarajevo as an open and globally-oriented academic institution.
