Doctor Kenan Arnautović: From dismissal at the Clinical Center to the most influential Bosnian in the world of neurosurgery

Most of the citizens who left their homes during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after the signed peace agreement in Dayton, planned their return. However, the economic and political situation after achieving peace still did not allow them to live in the full capacity they were used to abroad, most often in Germany and other European countries and the United States of America. The country was completely devastated demographically, economically and infrastructurally. At the same time, the BiH diaspora began to gather spontaneously in numerous organizations, which operate at the local level and continue to contribute to BiH in this way.

One of the best and most influential doctors, neurosurgeons in the United States and the world, Kenan Arnautović talks to Forbes BiH about his education at the Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo, his specializations, his dismissal from KCUS and his contribution to neurosurgery in BiH, the USA and the education of BiH doctors. in America.

Two specializations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the USA. Doctor Arnautović graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Sarajevo, as the best student of his generation. He completed his first specialization in neurosurgery in Sarajevo and Hanover, and the second at the University of Arkansas. He says that this is the proof of his love for medicine, double specialization in neurosurgery, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the USA.

His mentor was the famous doctor Sam Al-Mefty, one of the best neurosurgeons in the world. In 1994, Arnautović immigrated to the United States of America. Since 2002, he has been working at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic and teaches neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. He actively publishes works in prestigious professional publications in neurosurgery, three times the Journal of Neurosurgery published his articles on the front page.

Arnautović, thanks to his influence and position, brought to the USA about 40 doctors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, Serbia, Germany, Russia, Syria and many other countries who spent a month or two at his clinic. He says that right at the beginning of his studies at the Medical university, knew he would become a neurosurgeon.

“The desire was born by attending lectures by Professor Faruk Konjhodžić, and later by attending brain and spine surgeries at a clinic in Sarajevo. During my specialization, I expressed my desire to visit foreign clinics and learn from great neurosurgeons.”

He stayed in Hanover for the first time in 1990, and then in 1991. He told Forbes about the circumstances of his trip to Germany the year before the war in BiH began.

“The second time in 1991, Yugoslavia at that time was already under sanctions, so it was not possible to fly to Germany, but to the Netherlands, and then by bus to Hanover. But I left with a smile and satisfaction. My parents helped me financially and that’s when I realized the importance of education, changing the way of thinking, striving for excellence in the profession. That’s when I overcame my fear of travel, contact with neurosurgical authorities. “I realized by looking at top neurosurgeons, who were actually immigrants in Germany, that one can achieve great professional success with one’s efforts and talents, but also with hard work,” says Dr. Arnautović.

He is a member of eight American professional associations, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He is a co-founder and member of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian-American Academy of Sciences and Arts (BHAAAS).

He also brought his American neurosurgeon colleagues to Sarajevo and secured a large number of equipment donations to BiH hospitals. Thanks to the reputation he enjoys in the USA, he arranged numerous trainings for BiH doctors at American clinics.

Cancellation of KCUS and departure to the USA

He says that he never planned to leave Sarajevo and continue his career anywhere, not even in America. “Due to circumstances, towards the end of the war, I received an invitation for a six-month sub-specialization in the USA. I decided to leave after two and a half years of working in a surrounded city, and to return to Sarajevo armed with new knowledge and energy. That was my plan”.

However, immediately after the request for specialization, he was fired from the Clinical Center, so he had no other choice but to find an opportunity for further work and specialization so that he could continue doing what he loves most, which is neurosurgery.

“Step by step, through hard work and renunciation, exam after exam, trial after trial, I came to finish the second neurosurgical specialization in America”.

The American approach to neurosurgery is significantly different from the European one, he explains. The “hands on” education of the specialists is being pushed so that upon completion of the specialization – they can immediately perform almost all types of operations independently.

“Unlike Europe, the expertise of operations is not only on cranial operations, but also on complex spine operations, deformities, reconstructions, endovascular neurosurgery, pediatric neurosurgery, functional neurosurgery, trauma expertise. Each of these neurosurgical segments in America must go through a 6-12 month ‘hands on’ mandatory rotation in these specific operative practices. In the end, the exact number of operations performed in those segments must be shown in order to be able to complete the complete educational-specialization program”.

Explaining how he approaches students, he says that his relationship with residents is friendly, but they must respect the hierarchy.

“I hate mess, forgetting details about pre- and post-operative patient care. I appreciate the professionalism, the complete work done before, during and after the surgery. My residents know this, and they know that due to the effort and better approach to the patient, they will get more minutes in the operating room, and on more difficult operations. When we co-author papers, it must be top-quality work, detailed literature review, top-notch illustration and the best scientific journals. It’s not good to spend days and weeks writing papers in order to publish that paper in some scientific journal, which no one in the world of neurosurgery reads. Then why did you bother? Publications in top journals should always be pursued. Of course, sometimes it is published in a less important one, but the vast majority in the best one,” says Arnautović.

He is also the president of the Committee of the World Association of Neurosurgeons, and when asked how he manages to balance all his obligations, he answers that it is not easy, because these jobs are done at night, after a hard day, on weekends, on the plane…

“However, I understand the transfer of knowledge and service to neurosurgery in the USA, Bosnia, or the world as a mission to return at least part of the knowledge that I gained working as a neurosurgeon for more than 30 years to the younger generation. “My experiences will help younger people to reduce unnecessary time in education and publishing by teaching them how to work efficiently, which processes should not be spent on time, etc.,” he explains.

Thanks to his influence and position, Arnautović brought to the USA about 40 doctors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, Serbia, Germany, Russia, Syria and many other countries who spent a month or two at his clinic.

“Although I taught them and they passed on knowledge of data collection from literature, statistics to me. Several of them became neurosurgery leaders in their clinics through their work. I would now like to mention professors Ibrahim Omerhodžić, Eldin Burazerović, Mirza Pojskić, Fatos Oldashi, Goran Lakičević. I am glad to see how much they have achieved”, says Arnautovic.

When asked if he cooperates with health institutions in BiH, he replies that he is open to cooperation, if there is interest.

“I collaborate the most through the Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS), which I co-founded. That academy still bears the banner of scientific cooperation between the diaspora and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many leaders from many professions, medical and non-medical, my friends and colleagues have contributed immeasurably to the mission of BHAAAS. There is also planned cooperation with ANUBiH, of which I am a member, but also with Clinical Centers in Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica and Mostar, of course if there is interest”.

He tells young neurosurgeons in Bosnia and Herzegovina that the most important thing is to love what you do and be ready to dedicate your entire professional life to that goal.

“If there is no passion and willingness to give every day – the whole day – to that goal, there will be no results”, he believes.

He states that there are days and hours when everything does not go well, when the situation turns around and when there are serious complications.

“Fortunately, this is extremely rare. Then everything should be done to stop the complication in a professional way and then everything should be done to return the negative consequences to the initial position as much as possible. And you do that until you reach your goal.”

Arnautović concludes that he has fully realized himself in a professional sense.

“I am proud to have been given the rare opportunity to be a professor of neurosurgery in the USA, membership in all relevant neurosurgical associations in America and the world, and many leadership positions. I just want good health so that I can do this very difficult job with such enthusiasm and satisfaction for as long as possible, and for the benefit of patients and neurosurgery in general”.

Source: Gana Forić, Forbes BiH.

Photo: Private archive i www.kenanarnautovicmd.com