March 23, 2001

With its rich history and world-renowned reputation, the MGH often is a destination for curious travelers and inquisitive dignitaries. One such visitor toured the MGH this week to see its Cardiology Services in action.

Svetlana Broz, MD, is a noted cardiologist herself, and also is well known for her essays and writings about her homeland of Yugoslavia and war-torn Sarajevo. Broz visited the MGH as part of a trip to Boston and New York this week. She toured the Cardiac Echo Laboratory with Michael Picard, MD, director of Clinical Echocardiography, and Jane Marshall, the lab's technical director. Broz then visited the Cardiovascular Research Center at CNY to observe the latest technologies in genetics research. She also met with several MGH cardiologists, including Roman DeSanctis, MD. Above, Svetlana Broz, MD, with Roman DeSanctis

Broz is the granddaughter of Josip Broz-Tito, who was the communist leader of Yugoslavia for 35 years. In 1993, as the Bosnian war escalated, Broz left her home in Belgrade — the Yugoslav capital — to offer her services in hospitals throughout the Serb-controlled areas of Bosnia. It was while treating patients there that Broz heard firsthand the horrific tales of the war. She decided to write a book called "Good People in Times of Evil," which details the courageous stories of individuals who aided people from different ethnic groups during the Bosnian war. Broz now travels the world on speaking engagements and is working on another book about the war in Bosnia.

Describing her visit to the MGH, Broz commented, "This hospital is very impressive, and I'm glad to have the chance to visit such a famous institution."