The current Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapy is the successor of the original Department of Pharmacology—one of the five foundational departments of the Higher Medical Institute in Varna, established in 1961. Over the years, the department has undergone several structural and nomenclatural changes: it has functioned independently, as a teaching and research unit (TRU) for Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology within the Department of Preclinical, Clinical Pharmacology and Biochemistry, and Department of Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology within the Faculty of Pharmacy. In March 2013, the academic structure was reorganized into two entities: Department of Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology within the Faculty of Medicine, and the TRU of Pharmacology and Toxicology within the Faculty of Pharmacy. Since February 1, 2017, the department has borne its current name—Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapy—while maintaining its academic staff.
The founder and first Head of Department was Prof. Dr. Delcho Zhelyazkov, who led the department from its inception until 1991. He was succeeded by Prof. Dr. Anna Belcheva (until 2004), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Zhelyazkova-Savova (until 2013), and Prof. Dr. Stefka Valcheva-Kuzmanova (until 2022). Since 2022, the department has been headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Silvia Gancheva.
The department's first academic year commenced in February 1962 with a small team: Assoc. Prof. Delcho Zhelyazkov as head, Dr. Nikolay Temnyalov as assistant, and two laboratory technicians. Over the decades, numerous notable figures have served as assistants, including: Dr. Petko Uzunov, Dr. Nedelcho Georgiev, MPharm Georgi Yakimov, Dr. Milka Mangurova, Dr. Rusi Marev, Dr. Anna Belcheva, Dr. Maria Zhelyazkova-Savova, Dr. Dimitar Terziivanov, Research Associate Krasimira Ivanova, Dr. Valcho Yordanov, Dr. Lyudmil Tsvetkov, Dr. Svetla Kiryazova, Dr. Katya Marazova, Dr. Violina Lozeva, Dr. Petya Borisova, Dr. Stefka Valcheva-Kuzmanova, Dr. Marieta Georgieva, MPharm Kaloyan Georgiev, Dr. Silvia Gancheva, MPharm Miroslav Eftimov, MPharm Stela Dragomanova, and Dr. Antoaneta Georgieva. Many of them later obtained academic qualifications and continued their teaching and research careers at the Medical University of Varna or other institutions in Bulgaria.
Current habilitated faculty members who began and developed their academic careers within the department include Prof. Dr. Stefka Valcheva-Kuzmanova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Silvia Gancheva, Assoc. Prof. MPharm Miroslav Eftimov, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Antoaneta Georgieva. The team is also supported by part-time lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Zhelyazkova-Savova. Presently, the academic staff includes assistants Dr. Emil Milev, Dr. Veselin Marinov, MPharm Vesela Borisova-Nenova, Dr. Milena Todorova, Dr. Mehmed Reyzov, Dr. Klementina Moneva-Marinova, Dr. Elis Rafailova, and Dr. Melis Ahmedova. Former short-term contributors to the department include Assoc. Prof. Dr. Koralia Todorova-Nenova and Prof. Dr. Valentin Ikonomov. Long-serving laboratory technicians include Ileana Rafaelova, Sofia Zlateva, Ana Chorbadzhieva, Mishelin Hadzhieva, Velichka Dimova, Daniela Sabeva, Margarita Kaludova, Verzhiniya Karmen, and Yuliana Georgieva, as well as chemists Stefana Karadzhova and Yovka Dimova.
The Department is recognized for pioneering approaches in pharmacological education. Since 1969, it has introduced comprehensive training in general pharmacology, accompanied by the publication of a textbook by Delcho Zhelyazkov. Subsequently, for the first time in Bulgaria, clinical pharmacokinetics was integrated into this curriculum. In the 1996/1997 academic year, the department introduced a Clinical Pharmacology course for medical students, followed in 1997/1998 by a course in Fundamentals of Pharmacology and Pharmacoeconomics for students in Health Management. Since the 2005/2006 academic year, the department has offered pharmacology teaching in English for medical students, later expanding to include English-language courses in Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacology for Dental Medicine students.
The department also provides training for medical specialists in the fields of "Pharmacology" and "Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy."
Over 20 doctoral dissertations and two higher doctoral theses have been defended at the department. Since 2010, it has held accreditation to train doctoral students in the PhD program “Pharmacology (incl. Pharmacokinetics and Chemotherapy)".
Major Research Areas:
- Investigation of the biological activity of plant-based products (both total extracts and isolated compounds) using experimental pharmacological models in animals, with emphasis on:
1.1. Psychopharmacological activity
1.2. Antioxidant and organ-protective effects
- Evaluation of the pleiotropic effects of vitamin K under experimental and clinical conditions
- Drug utilization and pharmacoeconomics
- Analysis of the prevalence of potentially clinically significant drug interactions
Teaching Disciplines:
- Pharmacology – Medicine (Bulgarian and English programs)
- Pharmacology – Dental Medicine (Bulgarian and English programs)
- Clinical Pharmacology – Medicine (Bulgarian and English programs)
- Pharmacology – Nursing (Medical University – Varna and affiliates)
- Pharmacology – Midwifery (Medical University – Varna and affiliates)
- Pharmacology – Kinesitherapy
- Pharmacology – Medical Cosmetician
- Pharmacology – Rehabilitation Therapist
- Phytotherapy – Pharmacy Assistant
- Fundamentals of Pharmacology and Pharmacoeconomics – Health Management (Bachelor's program)
- Drugs and Their Effects on the Human Body – Master's program in Pharmaceutical Management and Care
- Drug Development and Drug Safety – Master's program in Pharmaceutical Management and Care
- Pharmacoeconomics – Master's program in Pharmaceutical Management and Care
- Elective Course: “Phytotherapy"
