Dr. Matko Miličić - Maleško, MD was born in Hvar on July 3, 1935. He spent his childhood in Hvar, Stolac, Lokrum and Dubrovnik because his father, the doctor Dr. Mate Miličić, MD of Hvar, often received transfers. His mother Marta, maiden name Baničević, has been a native of Smokvica on the island of Korčula and had a significant influence in her environment. She was the first woman on the island of Korčula to obtain a university degree by graduating in German and Italian language and comparative literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb.
Dr. Matko Miličić, MD attended primary school in Dubrovnik (at that time, seven years of duration), and then the Classical Gymnasium in Split and Zagreb. He enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb in 1953, but left Yugoslavia in 1959. He then studied at the Free University of West Berlin in Germany and the Universitaet Basel in Switzerland where in 1960 he was promoted to doctor of medicine. In the same year in Basel he married Vera Kaesdorf. At the beginning of his career he was a doctor in Switzerland and then went to the USA where he specialized in orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He has been working in private practice in New Orleans since 1971, and was later appointed Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Tulane UniversityTulane Universityand Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State Universityin New Orleans. He has been retired since 2015. Although his career is tied to the USA, dr. Matko Miličić, MD often visited Croatia, especially his parents' birthplaces - Hvar and Smokvica/Brna on the island of Korčula. He intensively supports local projects, specially the ones of importance for the development of the islands from which he originates. Through the Foundation, Dr. Matko Miličić, MD and his wife Vera will donate their personal savings to those who are willing to follow their vision and make additional efforts to achieve progress in the local area. This synergy is a key factor in the progress of these central Dalmatian islands, as well as the development of the local population. At the end of September 2022, on the occasion of the Day of the City of Hvar and the holiday of St. Stephen I Pope and Martyr, the City of Hvar awarded dr. Matko Miličić, MD a Golden Plaque for encouraging and promoting cultural, artistic, scientific, educational, health, and other social projects through the activities of the Vera and dr. Matko Miličić - Maleško Foundation. In July 2023, on the occasion of the holiday of St. Todor and Day of the City of Korčula, dr. Matko Miličić, MD was presented with a special recognition by the mayor for his special contribution to humanitarian work. In September 2023, the assembly of the 150-years-old Croatian Medical Association Hrvatski liječnički zbor awarded dr. Matko Miličić, MD with a special charter - the award of dr. Franjo Miličić - in recognition of his special merits in promoting the medical profession.
