Dominik Vugrinec

Dominik Vugrinec, from the Republic of Croatia, was a 14-year old student at Al Raha International School who developed and led a public service campaign that screened students for scoliosis, a spinal curvature that typically arises during adolescence and can cause severe deformities if left unchecked. Motivated by his own positive diagnosis in 2012, Dominik’s initial efforts revealed 14 students from his school who showed the early signs of this spinal curvature. By drawing attention to the importance of early diagnosis, Dominik’s screening campaign was soon adopted by other schools, and now hundreds of other children have been screened—a meaningful example of a simple idea being carried forward by one brave individual.