Dr. Dafina Ademi Islami was born on December 15, 1978, in the city of Gjilan. She completed her primary education at “Thimi Mitko” primary school in Gjilan. She finished her secondary education at the mathematical-natural sciences high school “Xhevdet Doda” in Pristina. In the academic year 1996/1997, she enrolled at the University of Pristina, Faculty of Medicine, in the General Medicine program. Dafina successfully completed her studies in March 2004.
Her excellent academic performance led the Faculty of Medicine to select her for a student exchange program at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, where she stayed for one month. From 2005 until the end of 2007, she worked as a physician at the Family Medicine Center IV in Peja.
She also completed her specialization in Medical Oncology on November 1, 2011. During this period, she spent a year in the Oncology Service at the “Mother Teresa” University Center in Tirana and another year at an oncology center in Skopje. In September 2012, she was accepted as a specialist in Oncology at the Oncology Clinic of the Hospital and University Clinical Service of Kosovo.
For many years, Dr. Ademi Islami has been actively involved in university education at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Pristina, where she has taught Oncology. Her dedication to science continues today, and on September 12, 2022, she successfully defended her doctoral thesis, titled “The Link between Metabolic Syndrome and Risk Factors with Molecular Subtypes in Breast Cancer in Females,” earning the title of Doctor of Medical Sciences.
In 2009, she spent a month at Wilhelminenspital in Vienna, Austria, for Continuing Professional Education. She has also been engaged by the European Union in projects related to the healthcare system in Kosovo and contributed to the development of the Master Plan for the healthcare system in Kosovo, including primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
Today, Dr. Ademi-Islami is actively involved in projects aimed at overcoming or alleviating global oncology disparities. In this endeavor, she has served as a panelist for the Global Oncology Project ECHO at Dartmouth Hitchcock for the past two years, delivering several lectures. Through this cross-continental platform, she shares knowledge on international oncology practices in low-income and developed countries, new cancer treatment strategies, and the role of research in generating new insights.
Dr. Ademi-Islami has contributed to raising awareness about breast cancer among women in Kosova and is always ready to engage in such causes for her country. She has published several works as the lead author and co-author in international and local journals. She has presented at numerous symposiums, conferences, and congresses both within and outside Kosova.Â