Croatian Student Summit or CROSS is an international scientific congress for students and young scientists in the biomedical field. In recent years CROSS has found its place asone of the leading student congresses not only in Croatia but also in this part of Europe.
The project was initiated by the Student Council of the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in the academic year 2004/2005. The School of Dentistry, the School of Veterinary Medicine, and the School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the University of Zagreb were involved in the project as collaborators.
The nineteenth edition of the congress will be held from April 9th to 12th, 2024 at the School of Medicine in Zagreb, Šalata. The congress is organized by the Student Council of the University of Zagreb School of Medicine. The theme of this year's congress is: "T.E.A.M", which stands for “Together Everyone Achieves More”. (This topic applies to lectures only. Poster presentation topics may vary. For more details on how to register and participate in CROSS 19, visit the "How to Participate" page.)
Teamwork is fundamentally important in almost every aspect of life, particularly in work environments. Synergy and collaboration, diversity of ideas, support and motivation, and efficiency are key aspects and advantages of teamwork. However, successful teamwork requires good communication, trust, openness to other team members' ideas, and conflict resolution skills. When these elements are well-aligned, a team can achieve outstanding results.
The following aspects are crucial regarding the medical profession and the importance of teamwork:
Complementary Skills: Medical teams often consist of various experts such as general practitioners, specialists, nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals. Each of them brings unique skills and perspectives that complement each other to provide comprehensive care to patients.
Better Diagnosis and Treatment: The combination of different expertise and experiences enables better diagnosis and treatment planning. Teams can exchange ideas, verify assumptions, and adapt approaches to provide the best possible care to patients.
Increased Efficiency: When a team functions well, work efficiency increases. Clear task allocation, mutual trust, and support enable quicker decision-making and implementation of therapies.
Reduction of Medical Errors: Collaboration within a team can help reduce errors as more people can be involved in monitoring a patient's condition, identifying problems, and resolving complications.
Providing Support and Care: Medical teams not only address medical issues but also offer emotional and psychological support to patients. This support can improve the outcome of treatments.
For all these reasons, it is extremely important to encourage and foster a good dynamic within medical teams. This is the only way to ensure that patients receive the best possible care. This year's edition of CROSS focuses precisely on how medical professionals collaborate on a daily basis, not only among themselves but also with related and unrelated professions. We hope that attendees of CROSS 19 will leave enriched with new perspectives and knowledge, as well as new connections that will have immeasurable value in their professional work.
Yours sincerely,
CROSS 19 T.E.A.M.
CROSS is a place for exchanging ideas, spreading information, establishing collaborations and partnerships and long-term acquaintances. The main goal of CROSS is to enable students and young scientists at the very beginning of their careers and scientific papers to learn the importance and the purpose of participating in congresses as part of their further education.
Participating in a student congress is an experience that broadens the horizons of students and young scientists by teaching them the value of exchanging ideas with their colleagues, by encouraging teamwork and organization, by shaping their presentation skills and by offering new acquaintances that more often than not end up lasting a lifetime.
Throughout four days of an extensive program, CROSS intends on providing its participants with interesting lectures and novelties in the field of biomedicine, practical skills through structured and detailed workshops, and a platform to present their own scientific work in terms of a poster presentation. Also, participants are invited to take part in the social program as a place of good fun, laughter and new acquaintances.
During the Congress, we hope that each participant feels welcome and accepted and that they will be inspired to further take part in the wondrous field of biomedical sciences.