Prof. Dr. Christina Grupcheva graduated from MU-Varna in 1992, and since 1996 she has been a specialist in Ophthalmology. She has plenty of specialisations at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London and the University of Dundee (UK). In 2000, after winning the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Scholarship, she launched a three-year research and clinical specialisation in cornea at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Along with the position of Senior Assistant Professor, she also held a clinical position in the Ophthalmology Department at the Auckland National Hospital. During that period, she completed a doctoral thesis on "Microstructural Analysis of the Cornea in Health and Disease". The doctorate was awarded with the highest honours in 2002 and the Rector's Award for the Best Dissertation of 2002. Upon her return to Bulgaria in 2003, she was appointed Deputy Manager of Specialised Hospital for Active Treatment in Ophthalmology–Varna EOOD, and shortly afterwards as Assistant Professor at the Department of Neurosurgery, ENT and Eye Diseases. She was elected Associate Professor at the same Department in 2006. In 1975 she defended her doctorate entitled Contact Lenses as Optical and Protective Element of the Front Ocular Surface. Issues and Future of Contactology in Bulgaria, the Balkans and Europe, and in 2010 she was elected Professor by the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC). In 2011 she was appointed Head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and since 2014 she has been Vice Rector at MU-Varna.
She was appointed Manager of the Specialised Hospital for Active Treatment in Ophthalmology-Varna EOOD in 2019.
Professor Grupcheva is a clinician boasting thirty years of experience with broad scientific and practical interests, which encompass contact lenses, dry eye, front ocular surface, microstructural analysis with confocal microscopy, penetrating keratoplasty and reconstruction of an anterior eye segment, keratoconus, refractive surgery and cataracts, etc. She has more than 180 publications and participation in 20 monographs and textbooks. She is a member of the editorial boards of two world-renowned journals of Ophthalmology. She is the head of a number of projects, supervisor for 16 PhD graduates and 12 postgraduate students in Ophthalmology. She is interested in developing innovative curricula for various levels of study from undergraduate to postgraduate studies. She is a highly respected and invited lecturer all over the world. Since the beginning of her professional career, she has delivered more than 200 lectures abroad, including developing countries. She has won numerous grants for scientific and infrastructure projects since 1999.
She holds leadership positions in numerous ophthalmic societies such as Fellow of the International Council of Ophthalmology (FICO) — examination coordinator; Fellow of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (FIACLE); European Contact Lens Society of Ophthalmology (ECLSO) — board member; Union of Medical Specialists, Ophthalmology Section — representative for Bulgaria; Union of Ophthalmologists in Bulgarian — board member, etc. In May 2017, she was elected President of the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) for the period of 2019-2020.
She is the holder of scores of awards and distinctions at national and international level. The last of them was awarded in 2019 for "Civil Contribution to Medicine and Healthcare" by the Open Society Club.
Main Publications:
Grupcheva Cn, Laux Wt, Rupenthal Id, Mcghee J, Mcghee Cn, Green Cr. Improved corneal wound healing through modulation of gap junction communication using Connexin43-specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotides.Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012 Jan 12. [Epub ahead of print]
Efron N, Morgan Pb, Woods Ca; International Contact Lens Prescribing Survey Consortium. Survey of contact lens prescribing to infants, children, and teenagers.Optom Vis Sci. 2011 Apr;88(4):461-8
Vincent Al, Markie Dm, De Karolyi B, Wheeldon Ce, Patel Dv, Grupcheva Cn, Mcghee Cn. Exclusion of known corneal dystrophy genes in an autosomal dominant pedigree of a unique anterior membrane corneal dystrophy.Mol Vis. 2009 Aug 26;15:1700-8.
Patel Dv, Grupcheva Cn, Mcghee Cn. Imaging the microstructural abnormalities of meesmann corneal dystrophy by in vivo confocal microscopy. Cornea. 2005 Aug;24:669-73.
Thompson Am, Sachdev N, Wong T, Riley Af, Grupcheva Cn, Mcghee Cn.The Auckland Cataract Study: 2 year postoperative assessment of aspects of clinical, visual, corneal topographic and satisfaction outcomes. Br J Ophthalmol. 2004 Aug;88(8):1042-8.
2004 Muller A, Craig Jp, Grupcheva Cn, Mcghee Cn. The effects of corneal parameters on the assessment of endothelial cell density in the elderly eye. Br J Ophthalmol. 2004 Mar;88:325-30.
Ku Jyf, Grupcheva Cn, Fisc Mj, Mcghee Cn. Keratoglobus and posterior subcapsular cataract – preoperative surgical considerations and in vivo microstructural analysis. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2004 Jan;30(1):237-42.
Grupcheva Cn We must enjoy in vivo confocal microscopy...(editorial) Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2003;31:371-373.
Vote Bj, Grupcheva Cn, Ormonde Se, Mcghee Cn In vivo confocal microstructural analysis and surgical management of Brown McLean syndrome, associated with spontaneous crystalline lens luxation. J Cataract Refract Surg 2003;29:614-18.
Grupcheva Cn, Craig Jp, Mcghee Cn. In vivo microstructural analysis of the cornea in Scheie's syndrome. Cornea . 2003;22:76-9.
Ig Jp, Sherwin T, Grupcheva Cn, Mcghee Cnj. An evaluation of mucin balls associated with high Dk silicone-hydrogel contact lens wear. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.
Grupcheva Cn, Ormonde Se, Mcghee Cn. In vivo confocal microscopy of the cornea in nephropathic cystinosis Arch Ophthalmol 2002;120:1742-5.
Grupcheva Cn, Riley Af, Malik Ty, Craig Jp, Mcghee Cn. Analysing small incision cataract surgery by Orbscan II fourth dimension pachymetry. J Cataract Refract Surg 2002;86:185-90.
Grupcheva Cn, Laux Fenton Wt, Green Cr, Mcghee Cn. In vivo and ex vivo in situ confocal analysis of a rat model demonstrating transient "epithelialization of the endothelium". Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2002;30:191-5.
Grupcheva Cn, Mcghee Cn. In vivo confocal microscopy of patients with amiodarone-induced keratopathy. Cornea. 2002;21:430.
Riley Af, Malik Ty, Grupcheva Cn, Fisk Mj, Craig Jp, Mcghee Cn. The Auckland cataract study: co-morbidity, surgical techniques, and clinical outcomes in a public hospital service.Br J Ophthalmol. 2002;86:185-90.
Publications
Open Access
She holds leadership positions in many ophthalmic societies such as the International Council of Ophthalmology — examination coordinator, the European Board of Ophthalmology — representative of Bulgaria and an examiner, European Contact Lens Society of Ophthalmology — board member, Union of Ophthalmologists in Bulgarian — board member, etc.
