Vanja Tolj

I was born in Ilidza, Bosnia and Herzegovina at the tail end of the Yugoslavian war. As a refugee, my family and I moved to Ohio where I grew up surrounded by the Akron-Cleveland Serbian community. 

For many years, I danced folklor and attended Serbian school on the weekends where I learned about our rich history and to read and write. I continued my education at The Ohio State University, completing a B.S. in Neuroscience. I am currently a fourth year medical student at the University of Cincinnati and will be applying to anesthesiology residency. As time permits, I visit Serbia to see family and friends and I have engaged with the medical community in Novi Sad by shadowing a few Serbian anesthesiologists. 

Working with SAMA is the perfect integration of my passion for medicine and my love for the country and people that have shaped me. I am excited to help build a community that connects Serbian/Serbian-American health professionals and students in the United States via the Student Group.