Professor Dragan Primorac, M.D., Ph.D., is a pediatrician, geneticist, and forensic expert witness. He was the first to receive the title "Global Penn State University Ambassador" since the university's founding in 1855. According to Elsevier BV, one of the world’s leading academic publishers, and based on standardized citation metrics developed by a team at Stanford University, Prof. Primorac has been ranked among the top 2% of scientists globally for both career-long and single-year scientific impact for the past four years. Professor Dragan Primorac is a faculty member at the Eberly College of Science, The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of New Haven in the United States. He also holds professorships at the Medical Schools in Split, Rijeka, and Osijek in Croatia, as well as at SANA Medical School in Germany. In October 2016, he was appointed a Visiting Professor at the College of Medicine and Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University in the People's Republic of China. In March 2021, he became the first European to be honored with the “Professor Emeritus” title at the National Forensic Science University of India. Professor Primorac has authored nearly 400 scientific papers and abstracts, and 30 books or book chapters. He has been an invited speaker at over 150 international conferences. His research has been published in some of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals, including Science and Nature. According to Google Scholar, his work has been cited more than 11,350 times. He has mentored 25 Ph.D. candidates and two master’s students throughout their academic journeys. 

In the early 1990s, Professor Dragan Primorac, in collaboration with colleagues from the United States, pioneered the use of DNA analysis for the identification of skeletal human remains recovered from mass graves. During the same period, his research group at the University of Connecticut (UConn) made significant contributions to molecular genetics. They described the molecular mechanism of Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type I, identifying splicing mutations at the donor (5') site as the cause. Additionally, they uncovered the molecular basis of nanomelia, a heritable chondrodystrophy in chickens, linked to aggrecan mRNA containing a premature termination codon (PTC).

In 2000, as part of an international consortium, Prof. Primorac co-authored a landmark paper in Science that provided a genetic perspective on human history in Europe, analyzing 22 binary markers on the non-recombining Y chromosome. Later, in 2017, he contributed to a Nature publication that described the early and largely extinct expansion of anatomically modern humans (AMHs) out of Africa, based on genomic analysis of 148 human populations worldwide.

In 2017, Professor Dragan Primorac and his research team were the first to demonstrate the molecular impact of micro-fragmented adipose tissue containing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on hyaline cartilage regeneration, using delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC). Since 2019, he has been actively engaged in whole genome sequencing studies, particularly identifying novel, potentially fatal genetic markers.

In 2021, in collaboration with U.S. colleagues, he introduced a new model for preventing sudden cardiac death to the Croatian Football Federation, involving genetic analysis of 294 genes associated with inherited cardiac conditions.  That same year, he was among the first scientists to successfully treat COVID-19 patients with ARDS using in vitro-expanded MSCs. In 2023, Prof. Primorac and his team pioneered a novel approach to treating rectovaginal fistulas, combining a modified Martius flap with autologous micro-fragmented adipose tissue containing MSCs.

As one of the pioneers in the field, Professor Dragan Primorac actively applies the personalized medicine paradigm—including pharmacogenomics, predictive genetic testing, and mesenchymal stem cell therapies—in routine clinical practice. He has led numerous scientific projects, including EU FP7, S3 (Smart Specialization Strategy), and IRI 2 under the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

In 1997, Prof. Primorac co-founded the International Society of Applied Biological Sciences (ISABS). To date, more than 6,500 scientists and 700 invited speakers—including ten Nobel laureates—from 75 countries have participated in ISABS conferences, held biennially in Croatia in partnership with the Mayo Clinic. He also founded the “Nobel Spirit” event, held during ISABS conferences, which fosters public dialogue with Nobel laureates on the role of science in addressing global health challenges, regional issues such as brain drain and demographic decline, and broader cultural and societal transformations.

Prof. Primorac currently serves on the Executive Committee of the International Consortium for Personalized Medicine (IC PerMed), established by the European Commission. He is also the President of the International Regenerative Medicine Experts Society (IARMES), the Croatian Society for Human Genetics, and the Croatian Society for (Precision) Personalized Medicine.

In 2011, Professor Dragan Primorac founded St. Catherine Specialty Hospital, recognized as a European center of excellence in personalized medicine. The hospital serves as an official medical institution for the World Taekwondo Federation, the Croatian Olympic Committee, and the Croatian Football Federation, and functions as a teaching hospital for four medical schools. Since its inception, Prof. Primorac has served as Chairman of the hospital’s Board of Trustees. In 2025, in partnership with UPMC, he launched one of Europe's most advanced cancer centers - The UPMC Hillman Cancer Center – Croatia. In addition, in 2009, he co-founded the Department of Forensic Sciences at the University of Split, Croatia. In 2015, he played a key role in establishing the Regiomed Medical School in Bavaria, Germany.

Earlier in his career, Prof. Primorac gained extensive international experience at several leading institutions in the United States, including: The University of Connecticut, Health Center, Department of Pediatrics, Farmington, Connecticut; The University Hospital St. Christopher's, Allegheny University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rockville, Maryland; The Analytical Genetic Testing Center, Inc., Denver, Colorado; Roche Molecular Systems, Alameda, California, and Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, Meriden, Connecticut, all in the United States.

Professor Dragan Primorac has received 25 domestic and international awards in recognition of his scientific, educational, and societal contributions.  In 2019, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences honored him with the Mary E. Cowan Outstanding Service Award for his excellence, international recognition, and significant contributions to the advancement of forensic science worldwide.

Prof. Primorac is currently an honorary citizen of five cities. In 2022, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Mostar, followed by another in 2023 from the University of Osijek and in 2025, from Sjever University. Since November 2023, the Henry Lee Museum of Forensic Investigation in Rugao, China—the world’s largest forensic museum—has recognized Prof. Primorac as one of the most influential forensic scientists globally.

Professor Dragan Primorac’s work has been widely covered by prominent international and regional media outlets, including The New York Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, Wall Street International, Fair Observer, JAMA, The Lancet, Science, NBC, Channel 8 (Connecticut), Večer (Slovenia), Kleine Zeitung and Die Presse (Austria), Haaretz (Israel), and nearly all major Croatian and regional news platforms.

From 2003 to 2009, Prof. Primorac served as Minister of Science, Education, and Sports of the Republic of Croatia. According to an International Republican Institute survey conducted on October 1, 2007, he was rated the most successful minister in the Croatian Government, with a 31% approval rating. His efforts in reforming the Croatian education system were recognized internationally—Newsweek magazine ranked Croatia’s education system 22nd in the world in its August 16, 2010, issue, ahead of 12 G20 countries.

Outside of science and politics, Prof. Primorac was also a cadet taekwondo vice-champion of the former Yugoslavia. In 2015, Professor Dragan Primorac was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in the United States. In October 2020, he was elected to the Council of the Croatian Olympic Committee. From 2019 to 2021, he served as President of the Medical Committee of the Croatian Football Federation (CFF) and currently acts as Senior Advisor to the President of the CFF. On November 27, 2021, he was elected as a member of the European Olympic Committee Medical and Anti-Doping Commission, and in 2025. he was re-elected to the position. In 2022, he was elected Vice President of the Croatian Taekwondo Federation. In 2024, he was appointed President of the Medical Committee of the Croatian Volleyball Federation (CVF) and also became a member of the Medical Committee of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).