In memoriam Davorka Dušek

In memoriam DAVORKA DUŠEK

5.10.1980.-29.11.2020.

Dana 30. studenog izgubili smo predivnog čovjeka i stručnjaka, doktoricu Davorku Dušek.

Doktorica Dušek rođena je u Zagrebu 5. listopada 1980, pohađala je II. gimnaziju, završila Medicinski fakultet 2005. godine s Dekanovom nagradom kao najbolji student šeste godine. Željela je postati infektolog i puna entuzijazma počela raditi u Klinici za infektivne bolesti, prvo kao znanstveni novak, a od 2007. postaje specijalizant infektologije, specijalistički ispit položila je 2012. godine i od tada radi u Zavodu za virusni hepatitis, a od 2015. godine postaje asistent na Medicinskom fakultetu Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Svoj posao infektologa obavlja s veseljem i ljubavlju, pokazuje neopisivu empatiju prema pacijentima, krajnje je požrtvovna i posvećena svakom pacijentu, svaki problem rješava temeljito, predano i do kraja. Najvažnije u njenom poslu bila je briga za pacijente. Stekla je tako brojne prijatelje među kolegama iz drugih ustanova s kojima je surađivala za dobrobit pacijenata, ali i sama je uvijek bila spremna dati savjet, porazgovarati s liječnicima i pacijentima. Zdušno je radila i sa studentima, uvodila ih u tajne infektologije. Boravila je tri mjeseca u Americi u Nacionalnom institutu za zdravlje u Bethesdi, gdje se usavršavala iz područja infekcija u hematoloških pacijenata na poziv profesora Živka Pavletića 2009. godine. Nakon toga stalni je član povjerenstva za cGVHD na KBC-u Zagreb. Objavila je 20 radova u časopisima indeksiranim u bazama PubMed i Scopus.

Od 2015. godine postaje tajnica infektološke sekcije UEMS-a, i tu brzo stječe velika prijateljstva i ugled, sa svojim blagim i nasmiješenim pristupom otvara srca i duše brojnih europskih kolega. Tijekom te suradnje nastao je važan rad vezan uz razvoj specijalizacije iz infektologije i mikrobiologije u EU: Yusuf, E., Ong, D. S., Martin-Quiros, A., Skevaki, C., Cortez, J., Dedić, K., Maraolo, A. E., Dušek, D., Maver, P. J., Sanguinetti, M., Tacconelli, E., & Trainee Association of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) (2017). A large survey among European trainees in clinical microbiology and infectious disease on training systems and training adequacy: identifying the gaps and suggesting improvements. Europ J Clinl Microbiol Infect Dis 2017; 36:233–242.

Uspješno surađuje s kolegama iz EU na izradi zajedničkog pismenog ispita iz infektologije, zadnji webinar moderira 28.11.2020. u 18 sati.

Godine 2012./2013. renoviramo Zavod za virusni hepatitis, promišljamo budućnost i moguću ugrozu od visoko-zaraznih bolesti, prilagođujemo odjel u Jedinicu za striktnu izolaciju, s novim zasebnim liftom, koji direktno dovodi bolesnike na balkonski ulaz u obnovljene dvokrevetne sobe s dovodom kisika i zasebnim sanitarnim čvorovima.

Doktorica Dušek zdušno sudjeluje u razradi protokola za prihvat pacijenata od Ebole, MERS-a, SARS-a i drugih tada neidentificiranih prijetnji. Educira brojne kolege u primjeni osobne zaštitne opreme. Educira kolege kako da naprave improvizirane odjele za izolaciju, brojni je zovu za savjet i ona uvijek nesebično pomaže, bez obzira na radno vrijeme. Prva ulazi pregledati bolesnike sa sumnjom na MERS, prva ulazi pregledati prvog pozitivnog pacijenta sa SARS-CoV-2 infekcijom 25.2.2020.

Od tada u kontinuitetu do 28.11, radi s bolesnicima s COVID- 19 bolesti, na raznim radilištima Klinike, od COVID-Odjela, opservacijskih kontejnera do kontejnera za trijažu. Počinje se između redaka žaliti na umor i zasićenost, ali posao ne pita, pandemija ne pita, kolege ne pitaju, nemaš COVID, radiš dalje, važno je posložiti prenapeti raspored. A ona ponosno ne traži pomoć, ne traži odmor, a nije bila niti u jednoj samoizolaciji, nije iskoristila niti jedan „time-out“.

I tako u trenu Davorka Dušek nestaje, u ponedjeljak dolazimo na posao, a doktorice Dušek više nema.

Nismo uopće svjesni veličine gubitka. Izgubili smo jedinstvenu osobu koja je svoj mladi život posvetila bolesnicima i prijateljima. Pitanje je možemo li i želimo li nešto naučiti iz ove životne priče.

Počivala u miru Davorka Dušek!

29.11.2020. u našim srcima biti će dan sjećanja na Davorku i ljudsku dobrotu.

Prof. dr. sc. Adriana Vince, dr. med.

ENGLISH

On November 30, we lost a beautiful person and a great expert, Dr. Davorka Dušek.

Born on October 5, 1980 in Zagreb, Dr. Dušek attended the II. gymnasium and graduated from the School of Medicine in 2005, earning the Dean’s Award as the top sixth-year student. She wanted to become an infectious disease specialist. Full of enthusiasm, she started working at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases as a research novice; in 2007, she enrolled in the Infectious Diseases Residency Programme, which also marked the start of her career at the Division of Viral Hepatitis. She became a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb in 2015.

As an infectious disease specialist, she performed her job with joy and love, showing extreme selflessness and immense empathy for patients. She focused on each and every patient, solved every problem thoroughly, fully dedicated from start to finish. She believed that patient care was the most important thing in her work.
She made so many friends among the colleagues from other institutions, with whom she collaborated for the benefit of patients, and was always ready to advise and talk to doctors and patients.
She also worked diligently with students, introducing them to the secrets of the infectious diseases sciences. Following an invitation by Professor Živko Pavletić in 2009, she spent three months in the USA at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, where she specialized in the field of haematological patients’ infections. After that, she became a permanent member of the cGVHD committee at the Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb. She published 20 papers in journals indexed in PubMed and Scopus databases.
In 2015, she became the secretary of the UEMS Section for Infectious Diseases, where she quickly formed great friendships and gained reputation, opening the hearts and souls of many European colleagues with her gentle and smiling approach. This collaboration resulted in a rather important paper related to the development of microbiology and infectious disease residency programmes in the EU: Yusuf, E., Ong, D. S., Martin-Quiros, A., Skevaki, C., Cortez, J., Dedić, K., Maraolo, A. E., Dušek, D., Maver, P. J., Sanguinetti, M., Tacconelli, E., & Trainee Association of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) (2017). A large survey among European trainees in clinical microbiology and infectious disease on training systems and training adequacy: identifying the gaps and suggesting improvements. Europ J Clinl Microbiol Infect Dis 2017; 36:233–242.
She successfully collaborated with colleagues from the EU on the development of a common written exam on infectious diseases, and moderated her last webinar on November 28, 2020 at 6 p.m.
In 2012/2013, we renovated the Institute for Viral Hepatitis, contemplating the future and the possible threat of highly contagious diseases, adjusting the hospital ward to become the Strict Isolation Unit, with a new separate elevator, which would bring patients directly to the balcony entrance to the renovated double rooms with oxygen lines and separate toilets.
Dr. Dušek wholeheartedly participated in the development of protocols for the admission of patients suffering from Ebola, MERS, SARS and other unidentified threats of that time. She educated many colleagues on the matters related to the application of personal protective equipment and creation of improvised isolation wards. Many of her colleagues consulted her, asked for her advice, and she always selflessly helped, regardless of her official work hours. She was the first to examine patients with suspected MERS, as well as the first patient who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection on February 25, 2020.
From that moment, up until November 28, she worked with COVID-19 patients, at various sites of the Clinic, from the COVID-Department, the observation containers to the triage containers. Although she subtly mentioned fatigue and work saturation, her workload didn’t subside; the pandemic did not care for it, nor did her colleagues – if you don’t have COVID, you have to keep on working; it’s important to sort out a busy schedule. She was too proud to ask for help or a break, spent no time in self-isolation, and rejected the idea of a “time-out”.
And in an instant, Davorka Dušek disappeared. We came to work on Monday, and Dr. Dušek was no longer with us.
We cannot even fathom the magnitude of this loss. We lost a unique person who dedicated her young life to help patients and her friends.
The question that remains is whether we can and want to learn something from this life story.
Rest in peace Davorka Dušek!
Our hearts will forever remember November 29, 2020 as the day we commemorate Davorka and human kindness.

Prof. Adriana Vince, MD, DSc.