History

The History of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology begins with introduction of the subject of Microbiology to the third year of pharmacy studies, immediately after the establishment of the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, in 1939. When the Second World War broke out in 1941, classes were suspended, so the first generation attended classes in this subject in 1945/46 school year.

From the establishment of the independent Faculty of Pharmacy in 1945 until 1955, the subject Microbiology was taught by part-time professor Dr. Milutin Đurišić, Bacteriological Institute, Faculty of Medicine. In 1947, Dr. Jelena Bogojević (left the faculty in 1955), and in 1952, graduate pharmacist Kosana Mitrović, became teaching assistants. In 1955, the teaching of Microbiology was taken over by assistant professor Dr. Branislav D. Janković, who was the first director of the Institute of Microbiology. In 1956, the Institute of Microbiology moved to the building of the former secretariat of the Faculty of Pharmacy, while laboratory teaching was carried out at the Institute of Botany. In 1974, Institute of Microbiology was renamed Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Until 1965, teaching of Hygiene was also performed at the Institute of Microbiology. The first teaching professor of this subject, part-time professor Dr. Milan Prica, Faculty of Medicine, was succeed by Dr. Žarko Radivojev in 1952/53 school year. Later, in 1965, Katarina Isaković, Assistant Research Professor, was appointed lecturer of Hygiene. Research work at the Institute of Microbiology in the field of immunology was the basis for the reorganization of teaching in 1979, when subject Immunology was separated. Selected areas of hygiene are attached to the subject Microbiology. The subject of Immunochemistry is being formed as a new subject for students of the study program of medical biochemistry.

Postgraduate studies in Immunology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, in cooperation with the Center for Immunological Research, were introduced in 1979. With the reform of the University in 1988, postgraduate studies in Immunochemistry were established. In 2008, doctoral academic studies were accredited, within which Immunopharmacology until 2013 was a sub-module of the Pharmacology module, and Pharmaceutical Microbiology is a separate module. Department of Microbiology and Immunology is responsible for the maintenance of academic specialization Biological Medicines from the 2012, and the Short Study Program of Pharmaceutical Microbiology from 2021.

Professors of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology who participated in the teaching during the period from fifties until today were: Branislav D. Janković (until 1985), Kosana Mitrović (until 1987), Katarina Isaković (until 1992), Jožef Horvat (until 1996), Dafina Milošević (until 1996), Ljiljana Popesković (until 2001), Nada Kuljić Kapulica (30% of working hours, from 1998 to 2005), Miodrag Čolic (30% of working time, from 1996 to 2005), Miroslava Dimitrijević (until 2007), Nevena Arsenović Ranin, Zorica Stojić-Vukanić, Marina Milenković, Jelena Antić-Stanković, Biljana Bufan, Dragana Božić, Brankica Filipić, Ivan Jančić.

The following teaching assistant were employed at the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology: Jelena Bogojević, doctor (1947-1955); Jovanović Zorica, biologist (1954-1960); Irina Djordjević-Marić, doctor (1989-1993); Tatjana Odrljin, doctor (1989-1993) and mr.sc. med. Ljubica Petković (1993-2001).