Who Is Ilija Srdanović

Ilija Srdanović is a Serbian physician, cardiologist and full professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Novi Sad. He was born on 7 August 1970 in Novi Sad and has worked at the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina in Sremska Kamenica since 1997. He is known for his many years of clinical work, for teaching at the Department of Emergency Medicine, and for his public support of student protests in Serbia.

In September 2026, he became the ballot holder of the “Student List – Students Win” in the early parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 October. He says he does not see himself as a conventional list leader, but as “the first among equals.”

Early Life and Childhood

Ilija Srdanović was born on 7 August 1970 in Novi Sad, in what was then Yugoslavia. Several sources give the same date of birth, including Istinomer and the daily newspaper Danas.

Although he was born in Novi Sad, he spent his childhood in Vrbas, where he finished primary school and gymnasium. There is no publicly available information about his family, parents or any siblings, so none is included in this text.

In a television show from April 2025, he spoke about how he was raised. He said he was taught to be free and to be himself, to respect others, and to give back to society what it had given him.

In the same show, he said that he had been “a soldier, essentially, all his life.” He explained that this was first as a conscript during the war, and then as a doctor fighting for human lives. Patriotism, in his words, means fighting for a better tomorrow for one’s country.

Education

He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Novi Sad in 1995. He then trained in internal medicine, completing his residency in 2001. Three years later, in 2004, he completed a subspecialization in cardiology.

He continued his academic path with postgraduate studies. He earned a master’s degree in cardiology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Belgrade in 2010, and defended his doctoral dissertation in the same field in 2012 at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad. He thus became a Doctor of Medical Sciences.

• 1995 – graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad;
• 2001 – completed his residency in internal medicine;
• 2004 – completed his subspecialization in cardiology;
• 2010 – earned a master’s degree in cardiology at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade;
• 2012 – earned a doctorate in cardiology at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad.

Early Career

He began his working life at the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina in Sremska Kamenica, where he has been employed since 1997, two years after graduating. The Institute is a specialized health institution for treating heart and blood vessel diseases in Vojvodina. Srdanović works at its Clinic for Cardiology as a specialist in internal medicine and a subspecialist in cardiology, which means almost three decades at the same institution.

He is particularly involved in the percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal defect (ASD). These are minimally invasive procedures that close openings in the wall between the heart’s upper chambers by way of the blood vessels.

Alongside his clinical work, he also developed a teaching career. He has taught at the Department of Emergency Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad since 2018, and has been a full professor since 2025. He is also a member of the Medical Chamber of Vojvodina.

Rise to Public Prominence

Until 2025, Ilija Srdanović was known mainly in professional and academic circles. That changed during the student protests, when he began to support the students publicly.

Address to Students in Novi Sad

According to the portal Nova.rs, the wider public first heard of him after he addressed students in front of the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad in February 2025. From the start of the blockades he supported the students, speaking at their protests and later at their rallies.

Invitation to a Police Interview

On 20 March 2025, Srdanović was invited to an informative interview with the police in Novi Sad. According to him, he received the invitation as a citizen, in connection with a provision of the Criminal Code, and he informed his lawyer about it. He also denied reports on social media that he had been arrested, noting that the police officers had treated him politely.

The weekly Vreme noted that a few days earlier he had been the target of articles in Informer. The further course of this case is not publicly known.

Statements on the Events of 5 September 2025

In September 2025, after the protest held in Novi Sad on 5 September, Srdanović told N1 that some toxic chemical agent had been used that day. As confirmation, he cited his own experience. He said he was about ten meters from police and gendarmerie officers and felt symptoms similar to those of others nearby. He added that he was visibly marked as a member of a first-aid team.

He also referred to an analysis published by students of the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad, which, according to their claims, showed the presence of CN gas. On the same occasion, he pointed out that some doctors had ended up in detention for up to 48 hours that day and that three employees of the Emergency Medical Services Institute had been dismissed. He expressed his conviction that they would be cleared of the charges.

The Slavija Speech and Public Positions

On 23 May 2026, he addressed a large gathering of students in blockade at Belgrade’s Slavija Square. He said that the students and the student movement were writing new pages of the history textbooks and that Serbia, in his opinion, was not ready for change because it had already changed. He added that the students were not alone in this struggle, as all layers of society stood with them.

In an interview with Nova.rs in September 2025, he stated that the President of Serbia was persona non grata in Novi Sad, which drew reactions from part of the public.

The HEART NET Telemedicine Project

One of the most significant professional undertakings in Ilija Srdanović’s career is the HEART NET project, of which he was project manager. It was a cross-border project carried out by the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina and the County General Hospital Vukovar. It was co-financed through the Interreg IPA Serbia–Croatia cooperation programme and was also known under the name “Heart Connects Regions.” According to the European Commission, the project ran from July 2019 to November 2021.

The aim was to establish a telecardiology network of doctors and patients in the border area. The network connected five hospitals, in Vukovar, Subotica, Novi Sad, Sombor and Sremska Mitrovica, and about 30 healthcare workers. According to the European Commission, it improved access to specialist care for about 10,000 patients. The total value of the project was around 1.2 million euros, of which more than one million euros came from European funds.

During the presentation of the project, Srdanović explained that telemedicine should put patients on an equal footing across one territory, regardless of whether they live in a large city or a remote border town. After the project ended, he expressed hope that the network would keep operating, gain more users and be used for educational purposes as well. According to Politika, in a 2022 interview he described this work as one of his greatest professional successes.

Candidacy for Director of the Medical Chamber of Serbia

In June 2026, Ilija Srdanović was the candidate of the independent group of doctors “Naša komora” (“Our Chamber”) for director of the Medical Chamber of Serbia. His opponent, Miodrag Stanić, a gynecologist who had also held the post before, was elected at the Chamber’s Assembly.

Srdanović told FoNet that he had no objections to the election process itself. He congratulated his opponent and wished him a successful term. He assessed, however, that there had been irregularities in how the session was run, particularly by the Assembly’s president and secretary, as well as manipulation of information regarding the Rules of Procedure. He also recalled that the session had not been open to the media.

Ilija Srdanović as Ballot Holder of the Student List

Selection as the List’s First Name

Ilija Srdanović was publicly introduced as a candidate on 10 September 2026, at the first pre-election rally of the Student Movement in Novi Sad, in front of the Serbian National Theatre. In his speech, he compared universities to shipyards of freedom in which students had built a ship, and invited citizens to come aboard.

The Student List was submitted to the Republic Electoral Commission on 14 September 2026 and contains 250 candidates. According to Vreme, a narrow majority of the students’ plenum decided to drop the rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, who had been envisaged for the first place. The students then sought a new “first among equals,” and the choice fell on Srdanović. Among the top names on the list are also Katarina Stanković and Željko Hubač, who is third. On the ballot, the list received number three.

Srdanović said the choice surprised him, that he is proud, and that he is only the first among equals. He stated that he would not neglect his work as a doctor because of politics and that he would continue to treat patients.

Program and Political Positions

In an interview with the Beta agency, published on 19 September 2026, Srdanović said he was confident of the list’s victory and that the representatives of the student movement were ready to defend every vote non-violently. He assessed that 14 years of rule by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and Aleksandar Vučić do not deserve a passing grade. According to him, the priority of a future government would be restoring trust in institutions and the rule of law.

The list’s program is called the Student Plan and contains eleven points. Among them are the reform of the Regulatory Authority of Electronic Media (REM) and the depoliticization of the media space. For healthcare, as he put it, measures are planned for patients and for young doctors. These include depoliticizing the profession, subsidies for rural areas, incentives for starting a family, and addressing housing.

The Campaign and the TV Debate Invitation

On 18 September 2026, Srdanović joined students taking part in the “Guardians of the Constitution” bicycle tour in Sečanj. He said he would behave in a “civilized” manner during the campaign and that the list stands for a country in which the Constitution is respected. He told N1 that he would not talk with people who, in his assessment, have nothing new to say.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić publicly invited him to a television debate on 20 September, and also sent the invitation through TikTok. Srdanović replied on Instagram that the president did not have enough credit for such an invitation and that being ignored is very painful. That evening, his Instagram profile, which had about 50,000 followers, was shut down. The next day, his access was restored, and he posted the message “Tri mreže ponovo imam ja” (“I have all three networks again”). With that message, he alluded to the song “Tri poljupca hoću ja,” which became popular during the campaign.

Media Allegations and Reactions

After it was announced that he was the list’s ballot holder, pro-government media published a series of negative articles about him. They include allegations of aggressive behavior toward female colleagues in the workplace and of a former affiliation with the Serbian Progressive Party. It is not known that these allegations have been confirmed by any court decision, nor has the outcome of any disciplinary or court proceeding been made public.

On 17 September, Srdanović told FoNet that being targeted was inevitable, that he does not want to be drawn into a “mud pit,” and that he would focus on citizens’ problems. The daily Danas assessed on 21 September that none of the accusations circulating on social media was supported by evidence, while some images and videos, according to that paper, were clearly generated by artificial intelligence.

Greatest Achievements

Ilija Srdanović’s career includes professional, academic and organizational achievements. The most important are:

• the title of full professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Novi Sad, which he obtained in 2025;
• a doctorate in cardiology and a subspecialization in the same field, which he completed in 2012 and 2004, respectively;
• serving as project manager of HEART NET, which established a telecardiology network of five hospitals in Serbia and Croatia;
• almost three decades of work at the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina, including percutaneous closure of PFO and ASD;
• the first place on the “Student List – Students Win” in the 2026 elections.

Nova.rs describes him as a respected cardiologist and as a doctor who has advocated for a better-functioning healthcare system since the start of his career.

Private Life

Ilija Srdanović rarely speaks about his private life. Information about his marital status and children is not publicly known. During a visit to Sečanj in September 2026, he said he is emotionally attached to the place because his life partner comes from there. Even so, he stressed that he was there symbolically, to support young people.

He is tied to Novi Sad, where he was born and where he works. In public, he presents himself as a doctor who does not intend to leave his profession.

Interesting Facts

• In September 2026, he is 56 years old; he was born on 7 August 1970.
• According to Nova.rs, the wider public only heard of him after his address to students in February 2025.
• He says he has been “a soldier, essentially, all his life,” and the daily Danas introduced him under the headline “Cardiologist and Soldier.”
• He addresses students as his pupils, and describes himself as “the first among equals.”
• The Student List has number three on the ballot.
• His Instagram profile reached about 50,000 followers and was briefly shut down on 20 September 2026.

Legacy and Influence

Ilija Srdanović’s influence is, for now, easiest to measure in healthcare and education. The HEART NET telecardiology network connected five hospitals in two countries and made it easier for patients in the border area to reach specialist care. As a professor at the Department of Emergency Medicine, he takes part in educating new generations of doctors.

In Serbia’s public life, he has become one of the faces of the student movement, in which a doctor and university professor found himself at the head of an electoral list. What his political influence will be will depend on the results of the 25 October 2026 election and on how events develop. For that reason, any lasting assessment of his legacy is for now premature.

Biography – Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Ilija Srdanović?

Ilija Srdanović is a Serbian cardiologist and full professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Novi Sad. He works at the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina in Sremska Kamenica, and in September 2026 he became the ballot holder of the “Student List – Students Win.”

How old is Ilija Srdanović?

Ilija Srdanović was born on 7 August 1970, which means he is 56 years old as of September 2026.

Where was Ilija Srdanović born?

He was born in Novi Sad. He finished primary school and gymnasium in Vrbas.

What is Ilija Srdanović’s profession?

He is a physician, a specialist in internal medicine and a subspecialist in cardiology, as well as a university professor. He is also involved in the percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defect.

Where does Ilija Srdanović work?

He has been employed at the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina in Sremska Kamenica since 1997. He teaches at the Department of Emergency Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad.

What education does Ilija Srdanović have?

He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad in 1995, completed his residency in internal medicine in 2001 and his subspecialization in cardiology in 2004. He earned his master’s degree in Belgrade in 2010 and his doctorate in Novi Sad in 2012.

Why did Ilija Srdanović become well known?

The wider public came to know him as a doctor and professor who publicly supports the student protests. He drew additional attention in September 2026, when he was chosen as the first name on the Student List.

What is the Student List and what is his role?

The “Student List – Students Win” is an electoral list of 250 candidates, submitted to the Republic Electoral Commission on 14 September 2026. Srdanović is first on the list, but describes himself as “the first among equals.”

When are the elections in which the Student List is running?

The early parliamentary elections are scheduled for 25 October 2026. The Student List has number three on the ballot.

Was Ilija Srdanović a candidate for director of the Medical Chamber of Serbia?

Yes. In June 2026, he was the candidate of the “Naša komora” group, but Miodrag Stanić, who had also held the post before, was elected director.

Conclusion

Ilija Srdanović is a cardiologist and full professor who has worked in cardiology and teaching for almost three decades. He led the HEART NET telemedicine project, and his public engagement during the student protests brought him to the head of the Student List. His candidacy in the 25 October 2026 elections has drawn great public attention, as well as media allegations which, according to available information, have not been confirmed. For this reason, this biography is based only on verifiable facts and will be updated as new information emerges.