Ass. Prof. Irena Velcheva, MD, PhD

Education

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irena Velcheva graduated from the Medical Academy, Sofia. Specialist in nervous diseases.

Professional Biography

Since 1990 he has been an associate professor, head of the neurology department, and since 2001 - of the neurology clinic at the University Specialized Hospital of Neurology and Psychiatry "St. Naum EAD, Sofia. In the period 1993-2001 he was the medical director of the same hospital. Since 2016 he has been the head of the Clinic of Nervous Diseases at MHAT-Uni Hospital.

Postgraduate specializations:

Germany - Chemoreology / Nuclear Medicine (SPECT)
UNWE - Health Management

Dissertation for awarding the educational and scientific degree "Doctor" - 1979. Topic: "Diencephalic disorders in rheumatism"

Professional qualifications and experience:

Specialist neurologist with clinical experience in the field of diseases of the autonomic nervous system, cerebrovascular diseases: hemorheological changes and functional neurosonography, headache, pain, diseases of the peripheral nervous system, epilepsy.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irena Velcheva is a medical expert at the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science. Long-term national consultant in nervous diseases. Author and co-author of over 200 scientific publications, 22 monographs and 15 textbooks on nervous diseases. Her main scientific and professional interests are in the field of cerebrovascular disease - hemorheological changes and functional neurosonographic examinations, diseases of the autonomic nervous system, headache, epilepsy, diseases of the peripheral nervous system. Head of doctoral students and specialists in nervous diseases.

Assoc. Velcheva is a member of the boards of national and international organizations and foundations:

European Society of Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation
International Danube Association for Neurology and Psychiatry
Balkan Medical Union Foundation
Stroke Prevention Foundation

He is a member of the management of the Scientific Group on Autonomic Nervous System at the European Academy of Neurology. Long-term scientific secretary of the Bulgarian Society of Neurology. He is Chairman of the Medical Sciences Section of the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria. He represents Bulgaria in the Board of Neurology of the Union of European Medical Specialists and in the World Federation of Neurology. He is Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Neurosonology and Cerebral Hemodynamics and of the Bulgarian Society of Bioreology.
He is a member of editorial boards of Bulgarian and international scientific medical journals: Science, Medical Science, Cerebrovascular Diseases, Bulgarian Neurology, Neurosonography and Cerebral Hemodynamics - Editor-in-Chief, Series on Biomechanics, Balkan Journal of Medicine, Medical Magazine. Holder of the honorary badge "Bulgarian doctor", "For contribution to the development of medicine", "For contribution to the development of MHAT" St. Naum ”,“ For contribution to the Red Cross cause ”.

Membership in scientific organizations:

Union of Scientists in Bulgaria
Stroke Prevention Foundation
International Danube Neurological Association for Central and Eastern Europe
Bulgarian Society of Neurology
Bulgarian Society of Bioreology
European Society of Clinical Haemoreology
Bulgarian Association of Neurosonography and Cerebral Hemodynamics
World Federation of Neurology
Union of European Medical Societies
Balkan Medical Union Foundation

Professional Research Interests:

Mainly in diseases of the autonomic nervous system, cerebrovascular diseases, hemorheology, functional neurosonography, headache, epilepsy, diseases of the peripheral nervous system

Scientific publications:

176 scientific publications
20 chapters in monographs, 12 chapters in textbooks on nervous diseases

Awards:

Honorary badges: "Bulgarian doctor" - 2004; "For contribution to the development of medicine" - 2006; "For contribution to the development of IMAB" - 2010; "For contribution to the Red Cross cause" - 2010; "For contribution to the development of St. Naum University Hospital" - 2012.

Foreign languages:

English - excellent; German - good; Russian - good