Prof.
Jelena Đekić Malbaša, MD, PhD
SpecializationEpidemiology
Specialist in Public Health
Hospital Infection Team
Prof. Dr. Jelena Đekić Malbaša is a specialist in epidemiology and a Doctor of Medical Sciences, employed at the Institute for Lung Diseases of Vojvodina and at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Novi Sad. She completed her specialization in epidemiology in 2014 and defended her doctoral thesis in the field of public health in 2017.
Her scientific and professional work encompasses the epidemiology of infectious and non-communicable diseases, prevention and control of hospital infections, antimicrobial resistance, lung cancer screening, as well as research in the field of health determinants and digital epidemiology. She is the author and co-author of numerous scientific papers, a participant in national and international projects, and an active member of professional associations.
Since 2019, she has been leading the Hospital Infection Team at the Institute, where she is particularly focused on improving epidemiological surveillance, infection control, and the application of modern approaches in public health.
Professional expertise/field
Epidemiology; public health; hospital infections; antimicrobial resistance; lung cancer screening; epidemiological surveillance; health determinants; digital epidemiology.
Teaching engagement
Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad
Department of Epidemiology
| Field | Year of completion | Degree | Faculty | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subspecialty | Medical Informatics | In progress | Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade | |
| Specialization | Epidemiology | 2014 | Specialist in Epidemiology | Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad |
| Faculty | General Medicine | 2006 | Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad | |
| Doctorate | Public Health | 2017 | Doctor of Medical Sciences | Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad |
| Training name | Field | Year | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop WHO: Risk Communications. Belgrade, | 2014 | ||
| MediPIET: Humanitarian crisis and mass gathering. Amman, Jordan. | 2015 |
| Period | Title | Project role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 – in progress | MULTIPULM – Accessible, integrated care for people with multiple chronic conditions in low & middle income countries (LMICs) – Funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement 101226783) https://www.multipulm.eu/project | Participant |
| ongoing | “Early Detection of Lung Cancer”, Provincial Secretariat for Health, Novi Sad. | Coordinator |
| 2020_ongoing | “Enhanced Clinical-Epidemiological Surveillance of Certain Infectious Diseases in the Territory of AP Vojvodina” | Coordinator |
| 2020_ongoing | “Epidemiological Surveillance of Injuries in the Territory of AP Vojvodina” | Coordinator |
| 2022_ongoing | “Control of Antimicrobial Resistance in Oncology Patients through the Implementation of an Advanced Antibiotic Stewardship Program” | Participant |
| 2026_ongoing | “Evolution of the Healthcare and Environmental Protection System in AP Vojvodina – from Socialist Heritage to European Integration” | Participant |
| 2026_ongoing | “Implementation of the World Health Organization's Concept of 'Health in All Policies': Comparative Analysis of Achieved Results in AP Vojvodina and the Republic of Srpska” | Participant |
| 2026_ongoing | “Determinants of Health: Defining and Identifying Genetic, Structural, Environmental, and Other Factors Contributing to Health and Disease – Towards a New Research Framework” | Participant |
ESMO – European Society for Medical Oncology
ERS – European Respiratory Society
DLV_SLD, Section for Epidemiology
Association for the Prevention of Hospital Infections of Serbia (UPBIS)
UBS – Association of Bronchologists of Serbia
RUS – Respiratory Association of Serbia
Kuzmanović P, Radić JK, Vujković B, Malbaša JĐ, Srećković M. Radionuclides in drinking water from an industrial region in western Serbia and public health risk assessment. Appl Radiat Isot. 2025 Dec;226:112160. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112160.
Djekic Malbasa J, Kovacevic T, Zaric B, Dugandzija T, Nikolin B, Radovanovic D, Paut Kusturica M. Decade of lung cancer in Serbia: tobacco abuse and gender differences. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci; 2023: 27(7):3105-3116.
Zaric B, Djekic Malbasa J, Kovacevic T, Simurdic P, Stojšić V, Stojanovic G. Independent Predictors Associated with Patient Refusal of Invasive Diagnostic Procedures After Positive LDCT Lung Cancer Screening. Diagnostics (Basel). 2026 Feb 27;16(5):709. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics16050709. PMID: 41827982; PMCID: PMC12984325
Đekić Malbaša J, Kuzmanović P, Zarić B, Kovačević T, Čapo N, Vukoja M, Srećković M. Variability of radiation dose in low-dose CT lung cancer screening: A real-world multi-centre protocol comparison. Radiography (Lond). 2026 Apr;32(3):103340. doi: 10.1016/j.radi.2026.103340. Epub 2026 Feb 2. PMID: 41633066.
Djekic Malbasa J, Kovacevic T, Vukoja M, Bursać D, Bokan D, Stojšić V, Zaric B. Nodule Characteristics, Clinical Risk Factors, and Radiologist Experience as Predictors of Positive Baseline LDCT Screening Results. Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Oct 29;13(21):2734. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13212734.
Djekic Malbasa J, Tomas Petrovic A, Radovanovic D, Dugandzija T. Female breast cancer: an updated review of epidemiology, risk factors and prevention. Hippokratia 2024, 28, 4: 135-142.
Vukoja M, Dragisic D, Vujasinovic G, Djekic Malbasa J, Andrijevic I, Stojanovic G, Kopitovic I. The Prevalence of Emphysema in Patients Undergoing Lung Cancer Screening in a Middle-Income Country. Diseases. 2025 May 9;13(5):146. doi: 10.3390/diseases13050146.
Maksimovic S, Kuhajda I, Djekic-Malbasa J, Tegeltija D, Maksimovic T, Ergelasev I. Pretreatment and dynamic neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in relation to CT-based volumetric response to platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC. Biomol Biomed. 2026 Apr 22. doi: 10.17305/bb.2026.14043. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42017895.
Duric P, Rajcevic S, Djekic Malbasa J, Mulic D. What do we talk about when we talk about digital determinants of health? – A systematic review. Digit Health. 2026 Apr 13;12:20552076261443121. doi: 10.1177/20552076261443121. PMID: 41993042; PMCID: PMC13080142
Kovačević T, Zarić B, Đekić-Malbaša J, Bokan D, Nikolin B, Bursać D, Simurdić P, Stojšić V, Stojanović G, Marić D. Attitudes toward Death among Health Care Professionals in the Balkan Region. Current Oncology. 2024;31(6)3350-60
Koprivica M, Đekić Malbaša J. Epidemiological characteristics of infections caused by bacteria Clostridioides difficile toxins. Srp Arh Celok Lek. 2024 Sep-Oct;152(9-10):505-508. M23
Alvarez-Romero C, Martinez-Garcia A, Ternero Vega J, Díaz-Jimènez P, Jimènez-Juan C, Nieto-Martín MD, Román Villarán E, Kovacevic T, Bokan D, Hromis S, Djekic Malbasa J, Beslać S, Zaric B, Gencturk M, Sinaci AA, Ollero Baturone M, Parra Calderón CL. Predicting 30-Day Readmission Risk for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Through a Federated Machine Learning Architecture on Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) Data: Development and Validation Study. JMIR MEDICAL INFORMATICS. 2022;10(6):e35307
Patić A, Vuković V, Kovačević G, Petrović V, Ristić M, Djilas M, Knežević P, Pustahija T, Štrbac M, Djekić Malbasa J, Rajčević S, Hrnjaković Cvjetković I. Detection and Molecular Characterization of Rotavirus Infections in Children and Adults with Gastroenteritis from Vojvodina, Serbia. Microorganisms. 2022; 10(10):2050.
Alvarez-Romero C, Martinez-Garcia A, Ternero Vega J, Díaz-Jimènez P, Jimènez-Juan C…, Djekic Malbasa J, et al. Predicting 30-Day Readmission Risk for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Through a Federated Machine Learning Architecture on Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) Data: Development and Validation Study. JMIR Med Inform. 2022; 10(6):e35307.
Ristić M, Milošević V, Medić S, Djekić Malbasa J, Rajčević S, Boban J, Petrović V. Sero-epidemiological study in prediction of the groups for measles outbreaks in Vojvodina, Serbia. PLoS ONE 14 (5):e0216219.
| Year | Title | Location | Role | Lecture/session title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023. | ERS | Milan | Presentation | “Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention: Evidence and Our Experience” |
| 2024. | European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) | Barcelona | Presentation | Policies and preventive strategies, “Challenges in pilot lung cancer screening in Vojvodina, Serbia |
| 2024. | Elimination of Tuberculosis, Is It an Achievable Reality Institute of Public Health of Serbia | Belgrade, Sava Center | Invited Speaker | “Investigation of the Tuberculosis Epidemic in Vojvodina” |
| 100 YEARS OF THE INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH OF SERBIA “DR MILAN JOVANOVIĆ BATUT”, INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS “PUBLIC HEALTH-ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES” | Belgrade, Sava Center | Invited Speaker | “Stages and Histological Types of Lung Cancers in the Pilot Lung Cancer Screening Program in Vojvodina, Serbia” | |
| 2024. | SDIR | Sremska Kamenica | Invited Speaker | “Lung Cancer in Vojvodina: Progress and Priorities” |
| 2024. | 100 YEARS OF THE INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH OF SERBIA “DR MILAN JOVANOVIĆ BATUT”, INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS “PUBLIC HEALTH-ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES” | Belgrade, Sava Center | Invited Speaker | “Covid-19 and Lung Cancer Diagnostic Delays in Northern Serbia” |
| 2025. | 7th AROME – MONTENEGRO COURSE and 6th AROME – ESO Joint Consensus Conference, Budva, Montenegro, 1-4 October 2025 | Budva | Invited Speaker | “Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention: Evidence and Our Experience” |
| 2025. | Congress of Palliative Medicine of Serbia | Novi Sad | Invited Speaker | “Epidemiology of Malignant Diseases” |