U.S. Ambassador Nicole McGraw in Zabok: "UPMC as a symbol of strategic partnership between the U.S. and Croatia in fight against cancer"
25 May 2026
Zabok, Croatia — The visit of the US Ambassador, Nicole McGraw, to Croatia's UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Zabok resonated strongly as a confirmation of the growing strategic partnership between the United States and Croatia in the fields of health, innovation and excellent medical care. At a time when cancer is the second leading cause of death in Croatia and according to EUROSTAT data from 2024, Croatia holds a concerning second place in the European Union in cancer mortality, the visit of the US delegation sends a clear message that Croatia is a part of the global network of modern oncology medicine. Alongside Ambassador McGraw, the American delegation included Prof. Dr. Joel Nelson, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of UPMC and President of UPMC International and Elizabeth Wild, President of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. The visit was hosted by Davor Babić, Director of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and Prof. Dr. Dragan Primorac, the initiator of bringing UPMC to Croatia.
The visit comes at a time when Croatia is rapidly changing the oncological picture of the country. Statistics show that after 2020, five-year survival for all types of cancer has significantly increased compared to the early 2000s. Experts point out that it is precisely the combination of excellent medical staff, advanced technology and access to the latest scientific methods can further reduce mortality and enable earlier, more precise and effective treatment.
“UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Croatia is a powerful example of what a partnership between the United States and Croatia can achieve when we combine knowledge, innovation and a shared commitment to people's health. We are not just talking about an investment in infrastructure or technology, but an investment in people's lives and the future of healthcare. Croatia has exceptional medical staff who fight hard every day for their patients’ lives and with the most advanced technologies and a multidisciplinary approach of Croatian and American doctors, it is possible to further improve treatment outcomes,” said the U.S. Ambassador Nicole McGraw.
“At our headquarters in Pittsburgh, we treated several oncology patients from Croatia and it was their stories that further convinced us that we had to do more. We wanted to give people hope – the opportunity to receive excellent, world-class academic oncology medicine here, in Croatia, with their families and the support of their loved ones. I would especially like to thank the Ministry of Health, Zabok General Hospital and the Croatian Veterans Hospital and the local community for the partnership that shows what is possible when everyone has the same goal – to provide patients with the best possible care,” said Davor Babić, Director of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Croatia.
An additional turning point is the recently concluded contract with the Croatian Institute of Health Insurance, through which UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Croatia has made an important step forward in the availability of modern oncology care. By the decision of the HZZO Board of Directors, UPMC will perform 600 stereotactic procedures and 1,500 PET-CT scans through referrals in 2026, making modern diagnostics and precise treatment more accessible to Croatian patients than ever before.
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Croatia is part of UPMC, a non-profit hospital network operating within one of the largest and most respected health systems in the United States, headquartered in Pittsburgh.
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Croatia in Zabok is equipped with the most advanced Varian TrueBeam system for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), which allows for extremely precise treatment of hard-to-reach tumors with maximum protection of healthy tissue. Thanks to this technology, in many cases long-term treatment protocols are now replaced with just a few or even a single treatment fraction, with high efficiency and safety.
In addition to advanced therapeutic capabilities, UPMC oncology center in Zabok also has key diagnostic tools such as PET/CT scans, which enable precise disease assessment, treatment planning and monitoring of therapy outcomes. Opened in March 2025 as the sixth UPMC Hillman location in Europe and part of a global network of nearly 80 centers, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Croatia brings modern oncology care to Krapina-Zagorje County and the wider region, where it was previously not available to this extent, providing a wide range of services, including radiation and internal oncology and PET-CT diagnostics.