Zeljka Jutric

Biography

Zeljka Jutric, M.D., M.C.R., F.A.C.S., is Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery at UC Irvine Medical Center and the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. She also holds an appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Health Care System. Jutric received her M.D. from the University of Nevada School of Medicine and completed her Master of Science in Clinical Research from Oregon Health and Sciences University. She completed general surgery residency at Swedish Medical Center, followed by fellowships in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at Providence Portland Cancer Center, tumor immunology research at Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, and surgical oncology at City of Hope Cancer Center.

Jutric's clinical and research focus centers on hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies, with particular emphasis on colorectal liver metastases, minimally invasive pancreatic surgery, and outcomes in complex hepatopancreaticobiliary procedures. She serves as principal investigator for multiple clinical trials and databases, including the Americas Minimally Invasive Liver Resection Database, a multi-institutional database on colorectal liver metastases, and the ECOG-ACRIN trial examining optimal perioperative therapy for incidental gallbladder cancer. She has established a multidisciplinary pancreatic tumor biorepository and integrated clinical database at UC Irvine. Her research has been published in journals including Annals of Surgical Oncology, HPB, Surgery, and Pancreas, with over 50 peer-reviewed publications.

Jutric has contributed to surgical education as Medical Student Clerkship Co-Director for the General Surgical Clerkship at UC Irvine Medical School and serves as Medical Director of Douglas Hospital Units at UC Irvine Medical Center. She received the John E. Connolly Faculty Teaching Award from the Department of Surgery at UC Irvine and the Medical Education Excellence in Teaching Award from UC Irvine School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and holds memberships in the Society of Surgical Oncology, Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, and Southwest Oncology Group.

Education

• M.D., University of Nevada School of Medicine, 2009
• M.S. in Clinical Research, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 2019
• B.S. in Psychology, Mathematics, University of Alaska, 2005

Distinctions

• Fellow of American College of Surgeons (FACS), 2019
• American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Medical Student Scholarship, 2008
• John E. Connolly Faculty Teaching Award, Department of Surgery, University of California Irvine, 2019
• Medical Education Excellence in Teaching Award, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, 2021
• Best Clinical Research Oral Presentation, Portland Surgical Society, 2015
• Honors Society Golden Key, 2005
• Senior Resident Teaching Award, Swedish General Surgery, 2012
• University of Alaska Anchorage Honors Scholar, 2005