The Department "Social Medicine and Health Management" was established in year of 2022 by decision of the Academic Council of MU-Pleven. The Department of "Social Medicine" is a basic department in all faculties of Public Health and in Medical Universities in the country.
Historically, the Department inherits the traditions of the "Social Hygiene" department established in May 1976. Associate Professor Dr. Veselin Borisov was elected as the first head of the Department in the year of 1980.
In 1990, the Department was renamed to "Social Medicine", in 2002 - to "Social Medicine and Health Management", and in 2004 - to "Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical Statistics, Pedagogy and Psychology". In the period 2014 - 2022, the Department does not function as an independent unit, but as "Social Medicine", "Biostatistics" and "Pedagogy and Psychology" sectors within the structure of the Department of "Public Health Sciences".
Since its establishment, the Department of Social Medicine has been a basic Department in the teaching of students from the specialty "Medicine" - Bulgarian-language and English-language training and almost all other specialties at the University.
The Department of "Social Medicine and Health Management" organizes and conducts written and oral exams in Social Medicine and Health Management for candidate students in the specialties:
- "Management of health care" - "Bachelor" and "Master" degree;
- "Public Health and Health Management" – "Master" degree.
The Department is responsible for the organization and conduct of the pre-graduate internship in Social Medicine for the specialties:
- "Medicine";
- "Protection and control of public health".
Students from a number of specialties at the Bachelor's and Master's degree programs: "Medicine", "Nursing", "Midwifery", "Health care management", "Protection and control of public health", "Public health and health management" take state exams in the Department.
The Department is a place for postgraduate specialisation in the following specialties:
- "Social Medicine and Health Management" for medical doctors;
- "Public Health" for nurses, midwives, sanitary inspectors and paramedics;
- "Occupational medicine" for medical doctors.
The Department is a training base for PhD students in the doctoral programs "Social Medicine and Organization of Health Care and Pharmacy" and "Health Care Management".
Prominent professors who contributed to the development and establishment of the Department of Social Medicine and Health Management as a leader at the national and international level, and who are no members of the department, are: Prof. Veselin Borisov, Assoc. prof. Gena Grancharova, Prof. Anzhelika Velkova, Assoc. Prof. Vili Nisheva and others.
Main fields of the research work of the Department of "Social Medicine and Health Management"
Epidemiological analysis and assessment of the state and processes of public health in Bulgaria and the European region
Health-related quality of life
Medico-social aspects and prognostic factors in socially significant diseases
Medico-social problems of children's health
Medico-social problems of women's health
Medico-social problems of the health of elderly
Labour market of health personnel
Preventable mortality as a measure of the effectiveness of health care
Psychological counselling
Social inequalities in health
Financing of health care in Bulgaria
Academic staff
Assoc. Prof. Mariela Kamburova, MD, PhD, MHM - head of department
Assoc. Prof. Stela Georgieva, MD, PhD
Assoc. Prof. Dima Tsanova, MD, PhD
Assoc. Prof. Zdravka Radionova, MD, PhD
Assoc. Prof. Penka Stefanova, MD, PhD
Prof. Tsvetan Sivkov, MS
Ch. As. Prof. Eleonora Mineva, PhD
As. Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, MD
As. Prof. Borislava Ivanova, RM
