ivan sama

Ivan Aksentijevich

President
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I was born in the US but was raised in Belgium by a Serbian father and a French mother. At the age of 18, my parents decided to send me to Serbia to study medicine. In many ways, this decision turned out to be one of the most critical in my life. It was during these years that I discovered myself and became deeply connected with my Serbian roots.

In 1989, I immigrated to the United States with my wife, Ivona, looking for a new life. Over the course of 30 years in the US, we have been blessed with five healthy daughters and long, successful careers. I completed two post-doctoral fellowships at the National Institutes of Health, a residency in Internal Medicine at St Agnes hospital, and Hematology and Medical Oncology fellowships at Johns Hopkins University. In 2000, I joined Virginia Cancer Specialists, a medical oncologist private practice in northern Virginia where I have been practicing ever since.

I am grateful for all the good things that have happened to me and I have an immeasurable debt to the world and everyone who has helped me along the way. Through SAMA, I feel that I am able to fulfill my obligations, as well as my calling as a physician, to help address healthcare issues and advocate for people who might not have had the same resources, opportunities, and good fortune that I have had.
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