IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Valid Apuk

Research and Development Associate

Valid is a postgraduate student from the University of Sheffield and holds an Executive MBA in Human Resource Management. With a demonstrated history of working for many years in diverse positions in international development cooperation bodies in Kosovo, Valid is a strong program and project management professional experienced in the implementation and leading of activities in human resource development and management, health management and policy writing, economic development and youth employment, consultancy, training, research, and development. His research interests lie in health human resource management, the development of healthcare policies and strategies, and overall public health management. He is involved in peer-reviewed publications, consultancy, research, and development work.

Genta Bunjaku

Research Assistant

Genta is a medical doctor. She studied at the University of Prishtina - Medical Faculty, and is now working as an instructor of medical practice in the Prishtina Medical High School. She previously worked at DI Consulting and Lifestylediagnostix. She was involved in high impact peer-reviewed publications, such as ‘Cesarean Sections in Gender of Delivering Physicians’ published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, which was featured by The BMJ and The New York Times. Her research interests revolve around the fields of preventive medicine, gynecology and psychiatry.

Jeta Bunjaku

Research Associate

Jeta is a resident pulmonologist working at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, in Prishtina. She teaches anatomy as an assistant at the University of Prishtina, Medical Faculty and is a health PhD candidate at that same university. She previously worked at DI Consulting and Lifestylediagnostix as a research associate and vastly contributed to their development. She is also involved in several high impact peer-reviewed publications. Her research interests are focused on the pulmonary, endocrinology and allergology domains.

Blend Bytyqi

Research Assistant

Blend is a physiotherapist who graduated from Rezonanca College in Prishtina. He started working in private practice mostly with post-operative care and chronic-pain patients. He implements injury prevention programs after the rehabilitation programs are done. He supports that preventative medicine is crucial and should be implemented in every field of medicine in order to save lives, careers, prevent disability, and increase the quality of life.

Erëkanda Cakiqi

Research Assistant

Erëkanda is a medical doctor graduated from the University of Prishtina, Medical Faculty, in 2021. As part of the Mentoring our Future program, she trained at Lifestylediagnostix to become a researcher, and she is now a research associate. Her research interests lie in preventive health in internal medicine as well as in the obstetrics and gynecology domain.

Tringa Gashi

Research Assistant

Tringa is a physical therapist graduated from the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Medicine, in 2020. She is currently doing a master’s in Physical Education and Sports in that same university and is working as a physical therapist in Poliklinika Rezonanca. As part of the Mentoring our Future program, she was mentored by Professor Ilir Hoxha. Her research interests include biomechanical analysis and movement dysfunction.

Krenare Grezda

Research Associate

Krenare is a medical doctor graduated from the University of Prishtina - Medical Faculty, in 2018. She is currently completing her residency in pediatrics in the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. She is also a PhD candidate in the PhD Preclinical Program in the University of Prishtina. Krenare performs research in multiple projects for both in Evidence Synthesis Group and Lifestylediagnostix. She is involved in several high impact peer-reviewed publications. Her research interests revolve around preventive medicine and child health.

Ilir Hoxha

Team Lead

Ilir is a medical doctor and specialist in public health. He holds MSc in Health Systems Management awarded by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom, and a PhD in Public Health awarded by University of Bern, Switzerland. He is a Fulbright Fellow, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, United States and Professor at Heimerer College, Kosovo. Ilir has extensive experience in academic and applied research, including systematic reviews with meta-analysis, survey design and implementation, statistics and epidemiology and health services research in collaboration with world class experts from renowned institutions around the globe. His research and professional interest are associated with the effect of the health system factors in the provision of care and the design of strategies and policies for health care improvements. More recently, he has acquired an increasing interest in preventive medicine and the development of disease risk prediction models. His research work has been published in the BMJ Open, European Journal of Public Health, Health and Human Rights, and Obstetrics and Gynecology and has been cited and featured in leading journals in medical science (i.e. The Lancet, The BMJ).

Lot Hoxha

Research Associate

Lot is a medical doctor graduated from the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Medicine, in 2020. He works as a general practitioner at the Main Family Health Center in Prizren, and as a teacher in the Medical High School in Prizren. His research interests lie in the field of internal medicine and pediatrics.

Lis Kotori

Research Assistant

Lis is a biologist graduate in the field of Ecology and Environmental Protection. He was involved in several projects of environmental evaluation, the main ones being conducted in the river and lake fauna. His research interests include nutrition as preventive medicine, environmental impact on diseases, and lifestyle factors in the prevention of autoimmune diseases.

Arber Lama

Research Associate

Arber is an orthopedics resident working at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, in Prishtina. He is a Health PhD candidate at the University of Prishtina, Medical Faculty. He previously worked at DI Consulting and Lifestylediagnostix as a research associate and has vastly contributed to their development. Arber is involved in several high impact peer-reviewed publications. His research interests revolve around preventive medicine, rehabilitation medicine, and orthopedics.

Diana Mejzinolli

Research and Development Associate

Diana Mejzinolli is a medical doctor, neurology resident, at University Clinical Center of Kosovo. She has extensive experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, working for eight years at Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Representative Office Kosovo) leading the Medical Affairs Department, establishing and developing local Pharmacovigilance, Quality Management System, and medical and scientific affairs strategy, and performing field work in oncology, hemato-oncology, pathology, and neurology. She has partnered with national associations and Patient Advocacy Groups for disease awareness campaigns, such as breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. Diana has received the highest recognition from the Kosovo Society of Neurology for her contribution, during a period of five years, in advancing and transforming the management, treatment, and clinical practice of patients with MS in Kosovo. She has initiated and organized local, regional, and international cross country experience visits and conferences and has built a strong international professional network. Her research interests include preventive medicine, environmental and lifestyle impact on diseases, immunology, and neuroscience.

Fitim Sadiku

Research Associate

Fitim is a physiotherapy graduate. He is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Physiotherapy at the University of Prishtina - Medical Faculty. As part of the Mentoring our Future program, he pursued an internship in the public health, later to be promoted as Research Assistant, and then a Research Associate, at Lifestylediagnostix. He also collaborates as a Research Associate with Action for Mothers and Children and was involved in high impact peer-reviewed publications, such as ‘Cesarean Sections in Gender of Delivering Physicians’ published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, which was featured by The BMJ and The New York Times. His research interests include musculoskeletal health, preventive medicine, and public health policy.

Sibel Safçı

HR and Administration Manager

Sibel is a talented human resource manager with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management (2010) from the Universum University in Prishtina. She pursued graduate studies in the field of management and graduated in 2012. Sibel has acquired most of her professional HR and administration experience in the banking sector, working for three well-known Kosovo banks, and has 6 years of administration experience in Kosovo Energy Distribution Company. As an Administrative Coordinator she has moreover managed 5 different departments in the Heimerer College in Prishtina.

Erza Selmani

Research and Development Associate

Erza is a researcher and a consultant in the health and social domain. She has recently graduated in Digital Health Systems (MSc) in the UK as a Chevening award winner. She has completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Service Management at International Business College - Mitrovica. She is currently engaged in several worldwide projects in research and consultancy. Her experience lies in research and projects in the health and social field. Her research interests revolve around the health and social science field and digital technologies that improve health/social wellbeing. She has co-authored several publications in peer review journals.

Rina Spahiu Curi

Research and Development Associate

Rina obtained her undergraduate degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology, United States with majors in both Public Policy and Management, and minor in Economics and Statistics. She is currently a graduate student in the University of Business and Technology, Kosovo, in the field of Public Policy and Management. Throughout her professional life, she has been working for the worldwide known ‘Big Four’ accounting firms, such as Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Furthermore, she pursued a career in international development projects funded by SIDA and later by the German Cooperation in Kosovo. Her strongest suits are writing, drafting project proposals, webpage development, academic research, and public speaking.

Esra Zhubi

Research Associate

Esra is a resident neurologist at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, in Prishtina. She graduated from the University of Prishtina - Medical Faculty, and completed a course in vaccinology at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. She worked as the Public Health Director at the European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) and as a general practitioner at the Main Family Medicine Center in Mitrovica. Currently, Esra is highly engaged as a Research Associate in both Evidence Synthesis Group and Lifestylediagnostix, where she performs research. She has co-authored high impact peer-reviewed publications, such as ‘Cesarean Sections in teaching hospitals’ as well as the ‘Impact of types of dietary proteins, animal versus vegetable, in modifying cardio-metabolic risk factors’. Her research interest lies in preventive health in the neurology domain.