Sanja Musić Milanović (born 1969) is a Croatian scientist and a professor at the Medical School of the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

. She is the wife of

Zoran Milanović Zoran Milanović (; born 30 October 1966) is a Croatia, Croatian politician and the incumbent president of Croatia. First elected in 2020, he was re-elected in 2025 with 74% voter support. Prior to assuming the presidency, he was the prime min ...

, the fifth

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president ...

and former

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Education and career

Musić Milanović graduated from the Medical School of the

, after which she attended the international postgraduate study programme Master in Public Health Methodology at the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

, Faculté de Médecine, Ecole de Santé Publique where she earned the title of

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

. Musić Milanović earned a PhD in the Medical School of the

on the topic of demographic, behavioral, and socio-economic determinants of obesity in Croatian adults. Musić Milanović is an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

at the Department for Medical Statistics, Epidemiology and Medical Informatics on the Medical School of the

. Her areas of work are epidemiology and health promotion. Musić Milanović is Head of the Health Promotion Division on the Croatian Institute of Public Health which is the Reference Centre of the Ministry of Health for Health Promotion where she leads the implementation of the National Programme "Healthy Living". As First Lady of Croatia, Musić Milanović plays a role in public life, supporting the President at official events and various initiatives particularly in the field of health and well-being. In September 2022, she announced that Croatia would host a Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in 2023 to address childhood obesity, in cooperation with the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

Private life

Musić's father Ivan "Ive" Musić hails from

Lišane Ostrovičke Lišane Ostrovičke is a village and a municipality in Croatia in the Zadar County. According to the 2001 census, there are 764 inhabitants, 93% of which are Croats. Demographics In 2021, the municipality had 593 residents in the following 3 set ...

near

Benkovac Benkovac () is a town and municipality in the Zadar County, Croatia. Geography Benkovac is located where the plain of Ravni Kotari and the karstic plateau of Bukovica, Croatia, Bukovica meet, 20 km from the town of Biograd na Moru and 30&n ...

. Her mother Ana Matić is a

Herzegovinian Croat The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats (), are native to Bosnia and Herzegovina and constitute the third most populous ethnic group, after Bosniaks and Serbs of Bosnia and Herzego ...

from Broćanac near

Neum Neum () is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the only town on the Bosnia and Herzegovina coastline, making it the country's only access to ...

. Musić met

at a

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

party in 1991 and married him in 1994. They have two children. In 2014, when Musić was a guest on the

Croatian Radio Croatian Radio () is the official broadcasting service of Croatia. Founded on May 15, 1926 as ''Zagreb Radio'', it's the first radio station in all of Southeast Europe. Part of Croatian Radiotelevision, it operates three national stations, severa ...

show ''Izaberi zdravlje'', she sparked controversy after she stated: "When it's said that

brown bread Brown bread is bread made with significant amounts of whole grain flours, usually wheat sometimes with corn and or rye flours. Brown breads often get their characteristic dark color from ingredients such as molasses or coffee. In Canada, ...

that we recommend is more expensive than

white bread White bread typically refers to breads made from wheat flour from which the bran and the germ layers have been removed from the whole wheatberry as part of the flour grinding or milling process, producing a light-colored flour. Nutrition Wh ...

, it initially is more expensive, but you can simply cut brown bread into thinner slices." The media later compared the statement to "

Let them eat cake "Let them eat cake" is the traditional translation of the French phrase "'", said to have been spoken in the 18th century by "a great princess" upon being told that the peasants had no bread. The French phrase mentions brioche, a bread enriched ...

", calling Musić the Croatian

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

. In 2022, Musić sparked another controversy when the media discovered that she pressured teachers and the principal of the

Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb The Classical Gymnasium () is a Gymnasium (school), gymnasium high school (similar to a grammar school in England and Wales) situated in Zagreb, Croatia. Originally founded by the Society of Jesus in 1607, it now operates in the Križanićeva gymn ...

, which her son attended, in order to increase her son's final grade at the end of the school year from 4 to 5 (with 5 being the highest grade).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milanović, Sanja Musić 1969 births Living people Physicians from Zagreb Spouses of presidents of Croatia Croatian women physicians Croatian public health doctors Croatian statisticians Women public health doctors School of Medicine, University of Zagreb alumni 20th-century Croatian women 21st-century Croatian women