Four decades of immunology in Croatia: University of Rijeka, Medical Faculty

Development of immunology in Rijeka is entirely connected with the development of the Medical Faculty in Rijeka which was established 52 year ago (in 1955). This was first higher education institution in Croatia that was founded outside Zagreb. Today, it is the largest scientific and teaching higher education institution outside Zagreb incorporated into the University of Rijeka since 1973. It has more than 450 teaching staff, several undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate training programs, and distinguished international scientific reputation. Immunology, as one of first scientific disciplines developed at the new Medial Faculty, contributed substantially to this reputation. In this paper we will give a brief overview of the last 45 years of development of immunology in Rijeka that started with the establishment of the Department of Physiology and disseminated towards a number of Medical Faculty departments and health system institutions in the city of Rijeka. It will not be a strict historical listing of major events, but rather description of dissemination of immunology with development of major actors, researchers and physicians, and their achievements over four decades. At the end of the article, we believe that the reader will recognise the power of Rijeka's immunological community and huge immunological expertise that lays in this part of Croatia