then wholeheartedly welcome

our new Board members: Dr.

Snjezana Buzov, Dr. Emir Fes-

Dear Academy members,

We started year 2010 by elect-

ing four new members of the

Academy Board of Directors. I

would like to extend my grati-

tude to all the active members

who voted in the elections, and

From the Editor

BHAAAS

February, 2010 Volume 2, Issue 1

Newsletter

Inside this issue:

Sabina Varjaca, Director 2

Dr Resad Pasic Delivers Presi-dential Address

3

Bosnia is Larger Than Those who Dont Love Her

4

Members in the News 6

Dr. Suad Trebinjac 7

From the Desk of the President

Dear Academy members,

I would like to welcome you to

the new issue of our newsletter

that was arranged with great

help from the newsletter de-

signer Mr. Adnan Atic. It is my hope that we are able to

maintain the standards and

principles established by our

first editor and newsletter foun-

der Dr. Kenan Arnautovic. In this issue, the President of

the Academy Mr. Aleksandar Hemon introduces the newly elected members of the Board

of Directors. I would like to

take this opportunity to extend

congratulations to the new

board members, and to thank

them for accepting a posi-

tion that is known to be de-

manding and effortful.

In the past year we held an

exceptional event, Days of

BHAAAS in Sarajevo, which

still resonates among our mem-

bers and friends. An interview

with our Dr. Emir Festic pub-lished in the magazine "Dani"

is a great personal story about

the successful young doctor

and scientist who is able to

help a broader community

without concern for his per-

sonal interest.

Days of BHAAAS in Sarajevo

was well presented in media,

and we are preparing a special

section on our webpage where

you will be able to access all

published articles and media

clips. As a preview we bring

you the report from Radio Free

Europe where Dr. Adnan Sar-cevic and Dr. Kenan Arnaut-ovic were guests on Radio Free Europe, which can be found in

this issue's section "Members

in the News"

Dr. Resad Pasic is one of the founding fathers of the Acad-

emy, and also the president of

the American Association of

Gynecologic Laparoscopists

(AAGL). On the annual meet-

ing of the society Dr. Pasic

gave an exceptional presiden-

tial address to 1,500 AAGL

members. Dr. Pasic's presiden-

tial speech can be accessed via

link noted in the article.

Sabina Vajraca has worked

professionally in theater as a

director, writer, producer and

stage manager. Sabina also

directed a movie titled "Back to

Bosnia", and is preparing a

new movie "Emina". I can not

think of a better way to intro-

duce our new young and tal-

ented member other than to ask

that you read her powerful

story and to visit web links for

Sabina's movies.

In this edition you can also find

an interesting article about the

PM&R Department of Rashid

Hospital in Dubai, where our

member Dr. Suad Trebinjac is

a professor and head of the

department administering

prolotherapy.

The Cavatina Duo - Eugenia Moliner (flute) and Denis Aza bag ic ( gu i ta r ) a re BHAAAS members that we

will introduce in our next edi-

tion. Today, however, you can

enjoy their music while reading

this issue of the newsletter.

Special thanks to Dr. Snjezana Buzov for the translations pro-vided in todays issue of the

newsletter.

Andi Arnautovic - Editor

New Members

Charles Burger

International membership

Inka Didelija

Candidate membership

Gavin Divertie

International membership

Dino Kujundzic

Associate membership

Zlata Kundurovic

Corresponding member-

ship

Larisa Kurtovic

Associate membership

Zdenko Mandusic

Candidate membership

Denis Rajic

Candidate membership

Vedran Residbegovic

Associate membership

tic, Dr. Aida Hozic and

Almer Imamovic.

Dr. Snjezana Buzov com-pleted her BA at the Univer-

sity of Sarajevo, and her PhD

at the University of Chicago.

She is faculty in the Depart-

ment of Near Eastern Lan-

guages and Cultures at Ohio

State University in Colum-

bus. She fluently speaks four

languages and can read in

another ten - impressive is

the word that springs to mind.

We expect her linguistic vir-

tuosity, along with her bril-

liance, to contribute substan-

tially to the Board.

Dr. Emir Festic is an Assis-tant Professor at the prestig-

ious Mayo Clinic College of

Medicine in Jacksonville, FL.

Everyone who know Dr. Fes-

tic appreciates his enormous

energy and enthusiasm,

which were manifest during

the BHAAAS Days in Sara-

jevo in October 2009 when

Dr. Festic, along with Dr.

Ognjen Gajic (also a Board

member), immaculately or-

ganized and conducted train-

ing sessions in Intensive Care

Unit interventions. We are

proud and happy to have Dr.

Festic on Board.

Dr. Aida Hozic is a professor in the Department of Political

Science at the University of

Florida in Gainsville. She is

also a co-director of the Stud-

ies of the United States Insti-

tute on US Foreign Policy,

sponsored by the US Depart-

ment of State, Bureau of Cul-

tural and Educational Affairs.

She has published widely and

her interests range from Hol-

lywood to cigarette smug-

gling operations in the Bal-

kans. Her intelligence and

expertise will without a doubt

push us to develop interesting

and challenging future pro-

jects.

Almer Imamovic is an inter-nationally renown guitarist

who has performed in Lon-

don, Paris, Stockholm and, of

course, Sarajevo. Indeed, his

performance with the Sara-

jevo Philharmonic was the

highlight of the BHAAAS

Days in Sarajevo last year.

Mr. Imamovic started his

musical education in Sara-

jevo, under the tutelage of the

legendary Mila Rakanovic,

and continued in Paris, Car-

diff and Pasadena, California,

where he also teaches. He

often performs with his wife,

Page 2

Volume 2, Issue 1

Jessica Pierce, our interna-

tional member. We hope that

after long Board meetings

Mr. Imamovic might be able

to provide some soul relief by

playing a sevdalinka or two. Exceptional though they may

be, these four individuals are

perfectly representative of the

Academy membership and

inescapably suggest all the

exciting possibilities that are

within our grasp. They em-

body the belief that is at the

very core of our Academy

that knowledge is a shareable

wealth. Once again. let us

welcome them.

Aleksandar Hemon

President of the Academy

Sabina Vajraca, Director

Original Contribution by: Sabina Vajraca, Director

I left Banja Luka at the end of May 1992, a week before my

fifteenth birthday. I was told I was going to visit my relatives in

Croatia for the summer, and as we rushed to the airport that

sunny spring morning all I could think about was how cool it

was that my parents got me out of school before the school

year ended. My final exams were behind me, a warm Croatian

coast before me, and I couldnt for the life of me understand

why my mom was making such a fuss and crying so much.

Such melodrama! Cmon, mom. Ill see you in a couple of

months, I told her. She just nodded and forced a smile as my

dad instructed me to be good, listen to my aunt and pamet u

glavu.

By the time I saw my mother again, nine months later, I could

no longer remember the careless laughter with which I dis-

missed her sorrows. It was packed away with everything else I

knew and believed before that fateful May morning, tucked

away in the darkest corner of my mind, not to be touched, or

examined, for the fear of disturbing too many demons. For the

next eleven years I kept my gaze on the future. We moved to

United States, I finished college, fell in love, learned to live on

my own, and fully embraced my new American self. I was

happy, I believed. Bosnia was still there, but more like a safety

net. A place where I could escape should America prove to be a

mean stepmother after all.

Its only appropriate that my first trip back was as naive as my

departure. I went there for an afternoon, thinking it would be

fun to see the old streets after all that time, never realizing that

the secret combination for my emotional lock was hidden in the

smell of the linden trees of my childhood home.

My first film, Put kuci, u tudjinu/Back to Bosnia, came out of

that experience. I wanted to show what happens when peace on

paper does not mean a peace of mind. When a refugee returns

to their home turf only to find it has long since stopped being

home. When safety net suddenly seizes to exist.

I was criticized by many for digging up old stories that were

pass by now. Some even went as far as saying that I am actu-

ally propagating hate and violence. Why cant I tell happy sto-

ries? A romantic comedy, perhaps? People are tired of the sad-

ness. They need entertainment, not therapy.

Nonetheless, I believe that our job, as artists, is to tell stories

that everyday people are afraid of telling. Stories that push but-

tons that people prefer not to push. That bring up questions

most of us choose never to address. Whether its asking what

was it that happened in the city of Banja Luka that makes its

citizens prefer to stay in foreign lands rather than return

home, or the denial, guilt and victimhood that I examine

through the story of Prijedor in my next film, Emina, my sto-

ries will continue to be uncomfortable, digging, exposing,

questioning. For I think that in order to be truly happy we need

to open the doors, reawaken the demons, and face them head-

on. Especially those that are often dismissed and ignored, their

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Volume 2, Issue 1

Dr. Resad Pasic delivers presidential address

In 2009, Dr. Resad Pasic has presided over the world's larg-est gynecologic laparoscopy organization, the American Asso-

ciation of Gynecologic Laparoscopists - AAGL. In Orlando,

at the annual meeting of the AAGL, Dr. Pasic gave his presi-

dential address which can be seen at Dr. Pasic's website,

http://www.gynlaparoscopy.com or at AAGL's website

http://www.surgeryu.com/play-video.php?

video=454&demo_view=1

Approximately 1,500 AAGL members attended Dr. Pasic's

presidential address, which was honored by a standing ova-

tion.

Dr. Pasic's presidential speech is 30 minutes long. It is an

unusual and quite entertaining combination of photographs

and videos, concluded by a film titled "10 top reasons why to

become the President of the AAGL".

power underestimated, a fear of a bullet so much easier to com-

prehend than a fear of ones own mind.

http://www.backtobosnia.com

http://www.eminathemovie.com

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Volume 2, Issue 1

Bosnia is larger than those who dont love her

LIFE: Bosnia can also be this way: Emir Festic, an American story of success

Emir Festic returned to Bosnia, albeit temporarily, as a fully realized person, as somebody who is able to help the broader

community, without concern for his personal interests.

In a fast moving crowd, jostling down the Upper East Side to-

ward the Downtown, a face stood out. A young man of twenty-

twenty-five differed from the busy New Yorkers for his careful

observing of the medical institutions on this side of Manhattan.

With newspaper under his arm, he read the classifieds, fre-

quently checking to see if he arrived at the right address. It had

been almost a month since he arrived to New York, and the

home he had left never seemed so distant. In Bosnia and Herze-

govina, and in his native city Sarajevo, war was still ravaging,

the war that Emir Festic that was the name of a young man

just escaped from. That was the hot summer of 1995: newspa-

pers reported widely on the never before recorded heatstroke in

Chicago and Milwaukee, John Mayors election victory in

United Kingdom, the Iraqi hostage crisis and the fate of two

U.S citizens David Daliverty and William Barloom de-

clared as spies by the regime of Saddam Hussein. In those

days, when the Drina army corps, under the command of

Ratko Mladi, were busy allegedly taking revenge on the

people of Srebrenica for some ancient events of the Ottoman

times known as the beginning of the upsurge of dahis, news-

papers reported about Bosnia and Herzegovina, as if it was

some distant toponym destined to entertain the audience anx-

ious to hear stories about bloodshed, ethnic conflicts and mass

murder.

Under a Lucky Star I was lucky says Emir Festic, remembering those days, I

arrived to America, and even though I was provided with a

place to stay by the Redepagi family, who accepted me as

their own, I had to look for employment, any kind. I bought

newspapers and set off on foot, down the East River bank,

leaving my CVs in health institutions looking for surgical tech-

nicians.

Emir succeeded in graduating from University of Sarajevos

Medical school during the siege of Sarajevo, and became aware

that the diploma from the University of Sarajevo would not

help him greatly to put his foot in the door of any of the New

Yorks fine medical institutions. He realized the truth behind

the saying: If you can make it here, you can make it any-

where. However, beside his diploma he had another important

document in his pocket: the recommendation letter written by

the renowned New York orthopedist David Helfet, which he

received under almost unbelievable circumstances.

During the war period, until the end of 1994, Emir Festic was

a member of a mobile surgical team and the special police unit

Biseri. He volunteered to become a member of police forces

before the official beginning of war, and general draft. He re-

calls his student days in Sarajevo during the war: During

1993, I treated an injured man, whose leg was virtually shat-

tered by shrapnels, and who had to be moved out of the country

in order to receive the urgently needed complex reconstructive

surgeries. However, before the transfer, it was necessary to

stabilize the fractures and injuries, which required several sur-

gical interventions. I performed a spongioplastics procedure on

his tibia, improvising from what I could find, and I used a fro-

zen bone from the someones broken hip, hoping that this

would suffice until he reaches orthopedist abroad. Emirs pa-

tient was soon transferred to the U.S. As it turned out, the or-

thopedic surgeon who performed other complex interventions

could only confirm that the particular surgery in Sarajevo was

done perfectly. He could not help but wonder how it was possi-

ble to do that under the impossible conditions of the besieged

Sarajevo in 1993. Upon learning that the surgery was done by

Emir Festic, a medical student from Sarajevo, Dr. Helfet was

amazed, and he kept saying Unbelievable!. The story about

the enthusiastic reaction of an orthopedist from New York

reached Emir who, upon arrival to America, made an effort to

find the office of Dr. Helfet. I contacted him and reminded

him of the case. He was very pleased to write a recommenda-

tion letter for me, which helped me find employment.

Indeed, the recommendation was helpful, although, at times,

it seemed as if some higher power was helping as well. A clinic

to which Emir applied had just lost a young Chilean doctor

who while taking US medical board exams, had worked there

as surgical technician. The positive experience the clinic had

Page 5

Volume 2, Issue 1

with the Chilean doctor helped Emir to find employment on the

first day of job search.

Patriotism

Fifteen years later, Emir Festic returned to Bosnia, albeit tem-

porarily, as a fully realized person, as somebody who is able to

help the broader community, without regard for his personal

interests. He calls that patriotism, even though he is fully aware

of both the weight and emptiness of that word, as well as of the

fact that patriotism may be the refuge for a scoundrel. In war, we burned out fast. We exerted ourselves, we gave

everything we had. I worked 24-hour shifts, followed by 48-

hour breaks that I used for studying and taking exams. In

addition to all this, I also went to the front lines, mostly at Do-

brinja. But since there was a constant lack of medical staff, that

was where I was needed the most. At one point, I realized that

we, as citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, all of us who cared

about Bosnia, were given up by the outside world from whom

we eagerly waited for help. Emir says.

After Emir graduated, he considered the diploma just a first

step of the tower he meant to climb. He had realized that in

order to achieve his goals, he had to leave Bosnia and Herzego-

vina. On the other hand, I thought that, as people say, I paid

my debts to the homeland. I thought I could be more helpful

on the outside, because then, as well as now, the fate of this

country was being solved outside its borders. For three years of

the siege, I had been giving everything I could. First I worked

as surgical assistant, operated myself at times, and all while

studying. Like everybody else I also traveled for and carried

water, and lived through all daily horrors like my fellow Sara-

jevans. I had never went through military training, I wasnt

skilful in using weapons, and I could not do more than I had

already done, Emir adds, like he was justifying. Needless, for

in his war career he had seen everything, and helped hundreds

of injured and massacred. I remember the massacres in the

Vaso Miskin street and the Markale market. I remember the

mutilated and broken bodies, half-dead and massacred people.

When I think of that today, I feel as if the brain isolates these

horrible memories in some separate chambers, so that one can

live normally. In war, you accept abnormality, deviation as

something normal, on daily basis. That, which later may cause

long lasting trauma for people, becomes altogether normal.

In a way, this had awakened in me the professional interest in

working with acute diseases, in intensive care, where the sick-

est patients are. Those who, either cant breathe, or whose

hearts suddenly stops.

America, the land of opportunities For Emir, leaving Sarajevo and arriving to the U.S. was, in

many ways, a cultural shock. Initially, he was helped by immi-

grants from Plav, who had lived in the U.S. for decades. In

order to become independent, Emir immediately set off to

search for an employment.

He established ties with other Bosnian immigrants, and soon

he join the Advisory Council, a lobbyist group which was

involved around political problems in Bosnia and Herzego-

vina, and maintained contacts with a number of the U.S.

senators, congressmen, and former US ambassadors in Bos-

nia. Two years ago he became a member of the Bosnian-

Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences

(BHAAA). This is what brought him to Sarajevo as a partici-

pant in the manifestation Days of the BHAAAS in Sara-

jevo, which took place in the last week of October. Seven-

teen members of the Academy gave a number of lectures and

presentations at the Clinical Center of the University of Sara-

jevo, the Rectorate of the University of Sarajevo, and The

Bosnian-Herzegovinian Academy of Arts and Sciences. Re-

nowned and competent specialists, mostly in the field of

medical sciences, presented their work in different disci-

plines: from the medical ones to those in social sciences,

focusing on Bosnia and Herzegovina and its Diaspora.

This is how I think about Bosnia: it has to be what it de-

serves to be, which means that all who live here should be

equal. Bosnia is large enough for everyone who loves her,

and it is larger than those who dont. That is the Bosnia that

In war, we burned out fast. We exerted ourselves, we gave

everything we had. I worked 24-hour shifts, followed by 48-

hour breaks that I used for studying and taking exams. .

has always been and will always be. Our intention is that

truth about Bosnia becomes known, that what happened is

not forgotten, and that what happened in Bosnia becomes an

example of what should not happen to anybody else Emir

emphasizes that, even though the majority of initial members

of the Academy were Bosniaks, they do not see Bosnia

solely as the state of Bosniaks. He adds I am especially

pleased that the organization, since we must measure eve-

rything by ethnic composition, is becoming more and more

Bosnian in the true sense. Emirs intercession for B&H in-

dicates that he could someday return to his homeland, how-

ever he does not speak of that for now. He concludes: Now,

we have the support of the Helsinki Commission and the

State Department, and we conducted talks with those who

lead the negotiations about Bosnia, such as former U.S. am-

bassadors in Bosnia. As U.S. citizens we asked for the con-

tinuous and active U.S. presence in B&H, because that is the

only way we can be efficient in helping Bosnia. Even

though he follows Bosnian newspapers only sporadically, he

seems to understand well political circumstances in B&H.

Our newspapers are extremely depressive. In my view, one

should not pay attention to the politicians paradoxical state-

ments that are found in the media. Also, I believe that only

active approach to problems, good moral, hard work, recon-

Page 6

Volume 2, Issue 1

great; parks, playgrounds and beaches are very close, we have

no reason to complain.

BHAAAS

The Bridges of Collaboration with the Homeland

Bosnian Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sci-

ences (BHAAAS) is a non-profit organization established in

November 2007, in Charlotte, NC. A group of Bosnian and

Herzegovinian academicians, scholars and artists joined to-

gether to found this organization with the goal of advancing

science, scholarship and arts among Bosnian and Herzego-

vinian Diaspora in the US and Canada. Currently, it has more

than one hundred members. Its members come from all schol-

arly disciplines and arts; from medical science and law to so-

cial sciences, literature and music. The Academy aims to estab-

lish close ties between the scholars in Bosnia and Herzegovina

and those who live in the US and Canada, and to build bridges

of collaboration with the homeland. The event Days of

BHAAAS in Sarajevo, which was organized in October, rep-

resented the first step in that direction. In the following years,

the Academy plans to organize similar events in other regional

centers in Bosnia.

Magazin "Dani" # 662; 02/19/2010 Author: Eldin Hadzovic Translated by: Dr. Snjezana Buzov

ciliatory philosophy, regardless to whether one is from Sara-

jevo, Banja Luka or Mostar, can help towards the way out of

the deadlock, and I think that 350.000 American Bosnians must

have their say about their homelands future. Practice American Medicine with European Roots

Emir Festic works at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL,

which is among the American clinics with highest reputations.

First, unlike many of health institutions in the US, this clinic

does not function primarily as business venue, and it is closer

to European system of medical care. The founders of the clinic,

the Mayo brothers and their father emigrated from Scotland,

and brought with them, as Dr. Festic explains, the roots of the

European medicine. Regardless of how much I work, my sal-

ary is fixed, and as a result I cannot put the financial interest

before the interest of our patients. Following the internal

medicine specialization in 2001, and sub-specializations in the

fields of pulmonary medicine and critical care in 2005, he was

employed by the Mayo Clinic, where he currently serves as

director of the surgical intensive care. He now spends ten hours

at work everyday, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, in addition to

night calls. Thus, it is clear that his private life revolves around

his job at the Clinic. Emir lives in close proximity to his work,

so that he does not have to spend two hours everyday commut-

ing to and from his work, like most of Americans. He explains:

My wife Nura is also a medical doctor, so it is easier to afford

to live close to our work. People usually can not afford that. I

do not have much free time. We have three daughters, and I try

to spend as much time together, as possible. Jacksonville is

Members in the News

On 9ov. 16th, within the program titled I want what is mine, not what belongs to others, Radio Free Europe hosted Dr. Adnan arevi and Dr. Kenan Arnautovi, Translated by: Dr. Snjezana Buzov

We present two medical doctors, citizens of B&H, who work

at prestigious US clinics, and who are members of the Bosnian

Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In the

latter capacity they recently visited Sarajevo. Our guests are:

Dr. Adnan arevi and Dr. Kenan Arnautovi.

Dr. Adnan arevi: My main motive to be here is the same as my colleagues to transfer the knowledge that we acquired

in the U.S. My personal goal is to introduce lectures in the field

which, in my view, is not sufficiently developed in B&H, or is

not developed at all, i.e. the senior health care. My work is in

geriatric psychiatry, and I think that, as the population ages,

there is an increasing need for the specialists who would be

able to address the problem. One of our priorities should be to

bring attention to these aspects of health care. I believe that,

unless we begin thinking and acting very soon, these issues

will, within ten or twenty years, pose a difficult challenge.

Dr. Kenan Arnautovi: One of the main ideas behind estab-lishing the Academy was to bring together and organize those

who havent been included in the organizational developments

of the people originally from this area living in the U.S.. We

started two years ago with seventeen members, and within a

short period of time the membership grew to over one hundred.

Since we now live in the US, another goal was to establish ties

with our homeland, the Republic of B&H, and to look for ways

in which we could contribute to the exchange of experiences

between the two states,. The third goal is to contribute to the

development of the democratic, progressive B&H as a member

state of the EU.

Page 7

Volume 2, Issue 1

Dr. Suad Trebinjac

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Volume 2, Issue 1

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Volume 2, Issue 1

BHAAAS

The mission of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS) is advancement and development of arts and sciences in the Bosnian-Herzegovinian diaspora in the United States and Canada. The Academy aims to provide connections between Bosnian-Herzegovinian scientists, artist and professionals in 9orth America and build the bridges of cooperation with the homeland. The Academy will promote the spirit of intellectual diversity and free ex-change of ideas among the Diaspora in the belief that knowledge is shareable wealth.

2411 Newburg Road

Louisville Kentucky 40205

USA

E-mail: info@bhaaas.org

Editor: Dr. Andi Arnautovic

Technical Editor: Adnan Atic