Prominent Zadar urologist Tomislav Sorić passes away
Associate Professor Tomislav Sorić, MD, PhD (56) was the long-time head of the Urology Department at Zadar General Hospital and a key figure in the development of laparoscopic surgery in Croatia.
Associate Professor Tomislav Sorić, MD, PhD (56) was the long-time head of the Urology Department at Zadar General Hospital and a key figure in the development of laparoscopic surgery in Croatia.
On Monday afternoon, a lifeless body of a man was discovered in the waters near the island of Iž. Unofficially, it has been learned that the man is Associate Professor Tomislav Sorić, MD, PhD, aged 56, who for many years headed the Urology Department at Zadar General Hospital and was regarded as one of the most respected physicians in Zadar. According to media reports, Dr. Sorić tragically lost his life in the sea near Mali Iž, leaving behind more than three decades of medical work and an indelible mark on urology in Zadar.
Tomislav Sorić was born in Zadar on February 21, 1970. He graduated from the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in 1995 and passed the state exam two years later. He began his specialization in urology in 1998 at Zadar General Hospital and passed his specialist exam in 2003. His specialty was urology, and he further specialized in urological oncology, becoming a subspecialist in that field.
He defended his master's thesis on the treatment of kidney stones in 2006 at the Zagreb School of Medicine, and earned his doctorate on the clinical significance of prostate stones in 2012 at the Faculty of Medicine in Osijek. Since 2009, he had been involved in teaching at the Nursing Studies program in Zadar, and later became an associate professor at the Department of Health Studies at the University of Zadar. Colleagues noted that he loved teaching and passing on knowledge as much as he loved practicing medicine.
He took over the leadership of the Urology Department in 2014, following the retirement of Dr. Klaudio Grdović, and held that position for more than 12 years. Dr. Sorić was deeply committed to the development of laparoscopic and other minimally invasive urological surgeries in Zadar. It was at that department, on October 8, 2003, that the first laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in all of Croatia was performed.
Over time, the department became a leading center for urological laparoscopy and hosted educational workshops for physicians from many Croatian hospitals. In a statement from Zadar General Hospital, it was noted that the department had grown into a center of excellence for urological laparoscopy and had become a host for professional workshops aimed at refining surgical techniques and continuously advancing urology. According to data presented by Dr. Sorić in February of this year, the Urology Department in Zadar cared for nearly 20,000 patients annually and performed approximately 1,000 surgical procedures.
"The medical profession is not just a job, but a calling that creates lasting relationships with patients," Dr. Sorić emphasized in his last major interview with Zadarski list.
His aspiration was to elevate the department to the level of a clinical department, further develop scientific activity, and, in the future, introduce robot-assisted surgery. The news of his death has shocked the public in Zadar and the many patients he had helped throughout his long career.
In the wake of his sudden death, his colleagues and all staff at Zadar General Hospital bid him a touching farewell in heartfelt messages. In the hospital's statement, it reads: "With deep sorrow, pain, and disbelief, we say goodbye to Associate Professor Tomislav Sorić, MD, PhD." They emphasized that in more than twelve years, he not only led the department but also built it, developed it, and left his mark. "His departure is a great loss for Zadar General Hospital, for urology in Zadar, for the many generations of physicians and healthcare professionals to whom he passed on his knowledge, but above all for his patients-people who trusted him when they were at their most vulnerable," the hospital said, expressing sincere condolences to his family.
Colleagues from the Urology Department said farewell with a particularly emotional message: "There are moments when hospital corridors fall silent, when the operating room becomes too heavy with grief, and words lose their power before the abyss of emptiness that remains. With immense sorrow, disbelief, and indescribable pain in our hearts, we say goodbye to our long-time department head, professor, but above all our dear colleague and friend, Dr. Tomislav Sorić. His sudden departure has left a deep wound in the hearts of all of us at the Urology Department, which he built and led with such unconditional love, vision, and pride."
