Briefly, tell us about your background and career up to this point.
I was born in Germany and grew up from age 3 in Croatia, where I completed medical school, internship and a PhD in Public Health. I began my career in medicine before moving into public health, health systems research and digital health.
I later completed an MSc in Health Economics, Policy and Management at LSE, followed by postdoctoral training at Imperial College London and the Harvard School of Public Health. I then joined the faculty of a new medical school in Singapore, established through a partnership between Imperial College London and Nanyang Technological University.
After ten years in Singapore, I returned to the UK and joined King’s College London as Professor of Digital Health. My research focuses on digital and AI-enabled approaches to healthcare, medical education and population health. Teaching, supervision and mentoring are also central to my work.
What is a typical day like for you?
Coffee with milk - non-negotiable - then children’s breakfast and the daily launch sequence to get them off to school, before I take the train or cycle to London Bridge. No two working days are ever the same. They typically feature a lively cocktail of meetings, emails breeding faster than I can answer them, manuscript reviewing, and steering students and researchers through what can feel like the valley of death when a paper is not accepted by the first journal. I also spend a fair bit of time plotting the course of various projects and dreaming up ideas for new ones. What do I love most? The creativity, the endless variety, and the brilliant people who make it all worthwhile. Above all, it’s the opportunity to make a difference by improving population health through our research - in whatever small way we can contribute.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
Do not be afraid. Life is rarely linear, and what may initially look like a detour can become one of the most valuable parts of the journey. Different experiences enrich you, even when their purpose is not immediately clear. In the end, they often connect in ways you could not have predicted.
Do you have any current projects that you’d like to tell us about?
I am particularly excited about EMBRACE, a major interdisciplinary research programme focused on improving the lifelong health of mothers, babies and families through digital technologies and AI.
As part of the programme, we are establishing a large international cohort study that will use data from wearable devices, smartphones and other health technologies to develop a more personalised understanding of health - and provide more tailored support - during pregnancy and the first 1,000 days of life.
It is an ambitious project that brings together many of the things I care deeply about: prevention, the combination of the best of human and AI, meaningful international collaboration and research with the potential to improve people’s lives.
What do you do with your time outside academia?
I cook, wash dishes, and spend time with my family – often all at once. I have two teenagers, and it seems they never get bored of their mum.
What is something positive that happened to you over the last year?
Joining King’s has undoubtedly been one of the most positive developments of the past year. It marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter in my career and has given me the opportunity to meet and work with many wonderful colleagues.
Starting somewhere new always involves a period of adjustment, but I have felt genuinely welcomed and supported. I have met many kind, generous and inspiring colleagues, and I am excited about the work and the friendships that may grow from this new chapter.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
I am very much looking forward to returning to Singapore in November for Reimagining Longevity: Move, Eat, Live Longer, an interdisciplinary symposium co-hosted by King’s College London and Nanyang Technological University.
The symposium will explore how exercise, nutrition and digital technology can support healthier ageing, which connects closely with many of my own research interests.
The idea for the symposium originally came from Professor Theng Yin Leng, a much-loved former colleague and mentor who recently passed away. She was a distinguished academic and university leader whose work advanced healthy ageing, human-computer interaction and the use of technology for public good. Her generosity, vision and commitment to collaboration had a profound influence on me, and it feels especially meaningful to help bring her idea to fruition.
I have not been back to Singapore since returning to the UK, so the visit will be personally significant as well as professionally exciting. I am looking forward to reconnecting with former colleagues and friends, connecting them with colleagues at King’s, and exploring opportunities for future collaboration between the two institutions.
I hope the symposium will honour Professor Theng’s vision by sparking new ideas, strengthening relationships and creating productive research partnerships for the years ahead.
What is your favourite part of your role?
The combination of problem-solving, creativity and supervision. For me, the three are closely connected.
I enjoy taking a difficult question, turning it around from different angles and working with others to find a way forward. Supervision is especially rewarding because it allows me to be part of someone else’s intellectual and professional journey.
Some of the best ideas emerge from those conversations. We challenge assumptions, solve problems, learn from one another and, occasionally, arrive somewhere none of us could have reached alone.
Quick-fire round
Favourite season: Spring in the UK and Summer in Croatia
Favourite London restaurant: Le Gavroche. Sadly, it has now closed, but I have fond personal memories of it
Favourite book: There are several, for different reasons, but one I would recommend is Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Favourite cuisine: Italian (well, and Croatian)
Netflix recommendation: The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call - a funny and entertaining South Korean series about a brilliant trauma surgeon joining a struggling university hospital.