Gordana Vunjak Novaković is a professor at Columbia University and a member of SANU and the first Serbian woman and woman to become a member of the National Academy of Engineering in the USA. With her scientific research work, she opened new horizons in regenerative medicine by developing ways of growing new tissue ex-vivo (outside the body) using the patient's own cells. Its revolutionary approach offers a safer, more precise and less invasive way to perform facial reconstruction procedures, and has also led to the possibility of replacing worn or diseased tissues and organs of the patient, giving them a chance for a better life.