Krasimir Dimitrov Ivanov was born on March 10, 1960 in the city of Varna, Bulgaria. He graduated from the Higher Institute of Medicine of Varna in 1986. From 1987 to 1990, he worked as general practitioner in the town of Devnya. In 1990, he was elected assistant in the Department of General and Operative Surgery. He specialized in surgery (1990-1993), in oncology (2002-2005), and in health care management (2003-2005). He was postgraduate master student in business administration (2003-2005). In 1996, he successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled 'On diagnosis and surgical treatment of rectal cancer'. He was elected associate professor of surgery in 2001. Between 2004 and 2012, he was head of the Department of General and Operative Surgery at the Medical University of Varna. Between 2001 and 2010, he was executive director of St. Marina University Hospital of Varna. In 2008, he successfully defended his DSc thesis entitled 'Recent аdvances in diagnosis and surgical treatment of colorectal cancer'. He was elected professor of surgery in 2009. He was elected rector of the Medical University of Varna in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. He is national consultant of surgery in Bulgaria.
His research activity covers a variety of hot topics in surgical oncology and particularly in coloproctology, gastroenterology and hepatology - new diagnostic methods, including tumour markers, endorectal echography, endoscopy, modern imaging diagnosis, sentinel lymph nodes, laparoscopic surgery of colorectal cancer and colorectal liver metastases, etc.
Professor Krasimir Ivanov is active member of several Bulgarian and international scientific organizations such as Bulgarian Surgical Society, Union of Bulgarian Scientists, Bulgarian Union of Physicians, International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists, and Oncologists (IASGO), International Society of University Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ISUCRS), etc. He is editor-in-chief of Scripta Scientifica Medica (Varna), Medical Forum of Varna, and member of the editorial board of the Bulgarian journals Biomedical Reviews and Khirurgiya (Surgery) as well as of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Madridge Journal of Surgery. He acts as peer reviewer for manuscripts submitted to these journals as well as to the World Journal of Gastroenterology. Together with his enthusiastic team, he organized 14 international conferences with international participation on coloproctology and the XV International Congress of Colorectal Surgery in 2017 in Varna. He has already more than 350 scientific publications such as textbook and monograph chapters, articles in Bulgarian and foreign journals as well as reports published in proceedings of national and international conferences, congresses and symposia held in Bulgaria and abroad. His publications are frequently cited in the Bulgarian and foreign scientific literature.
Professor Krasimir Ivanov substantially contributes to the uninterrupted advancement of science and education in the Medical University of Varna thus ensuring the rising international prestige of this modern Bulgarian institution facing the challenges of fruitful international collaboration and competition under the conditions of 21st century's globalization.
Meanwhile, he received numerous honour awards in Bulgaria.
Professor Krasimir Ivanov was awarded the Honorary golden sign 'For Services Rendered to Varna' in 2015 for his contribution to science and medicine advancement. During the recent years, he was awarded insignia of honour by the Bulgarian Surgical Society (in 2008), the honour sign of 'Bulgarian Physician', the golden badge for special merit to the development of minimally invasive surgery, 'Manager of the Year' award of Forum Medicus newspaper, two times 'The Prize of Varna', i. e. in 2006, jointly with a team of physicians at St. Marina University Hospital of Varna, and in 2010, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Division of Live Donor Transplantations as well as the prize for the 'Most Innovative Hospital' for outstanding achievements in the category of 'Complex Approach to the Introduction of Information and Telecommunication Technologies'.
Professor Krasimir Ivanov's services rendered to the development not only of medicine, public health and education, but also of national culture and film industry, are acknowledged by various Bulgarian cities and institutions. In 2016, he was awarded the Golden Medal of the Bulgarian Red Cross for great merits resulting in the recommence and implementation of the International Red Cross and Health Films Festival. In 2017, Professor Krasimir Ivanov was awarded for his 'Unique Contribution to University Education in Nursing Care' by the Bulgarian Association of Nursing Care Professionals. In the same year, he was distinguished as 'Personality of the Year' for the town of Shoumen. Since October 2017, he holds the title of 'Honorary Citizen' of the town of Sliven for his contribution to the development of the academic structures in the town.
On
5th May 2019 Prof. Dr. Krasimir Ivanov was awarded the Honorary
Title of Doctor Honoris Causa of Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy for his efforts
towards establishing a joint programme of study "Military Medical
Doctor" between the Naval Academy, MU -Varna and MMA.
On 10th March, His Eminence Yoan, the Metropolitan of Varna and Veliki Preslav awarded Prof. Ivanov with the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called for his outstanding merit to the the Diocese of Varna and Veliki Preslav. In May 2020 he was elected President of the Association of University Hospitals in the Republic of Bulgaria (AUHRB).
List of selected publications in foreign journals
- Ivanov К, Ignatov V, Petrov D, Tonev A, Zlatarov A, Nydenova B, Nedeva R, Kolev N. Role of virtual colonoscopy for diagnosis of colorectal tumours. Madridge J Surg. 2017 (in press).
- Ivanov K, Donev I. International scientific communications in the field of colorectal tumour markers. World J Gastrointest Surg. 2017;9(5):127-138.
- Bliznakova K, Kolev N, Buliev I, Tonev A, Encheva E, Bliznakov Z, Ivanov K. Computer aided preoperative evaluation of the residual liver volume using computed tomography images. J Digit Imaging. 2015;28(2):231-239.
- Yordanova G, Iotova V, Kalchev K, Ivanov K, Balev B, Kolev N, Tonev A, Oosterhuis W. Virilizing adrenal oncocytoma in a 9-year-old girl: rare neoplasm with an intriguing postoperative course. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2015;28(5-6):685-690.
- Bliznakova K, Kolev N, Bliznakov Z, Buliev I, Tonev A, Encheva E, Ivanov K. Image processing tool promoting decision-making in liver surgery of patients with chronic kidney disease. J Software Eng Applicat. 2014;7(2):118-127.
- Conev NV, Donev IS, Konsoulova-Kirova AA, Chervenkov TG, Kashlov JK, Ivanov KD. Serum expression levels of miR-17, miR-21, and miR-92 as potential biomarkers for recurrence after adjuvant chemotherapy in colon cancer patients. Biosci Trends. 2015;9(6):393-401.
- Kolev NY, Tonev AY, Ignatov VL, Zlatarov AK, Bojkov VM, Kirilova TD, Encheva E, Ivanov K. The role of 3-D endorectal ultrasound in rectal cancer: our experience. Int Surg. 2014;99(2):106-111.
- Ivanov K, Kolev N, Ignatov V, Madjov R. Intraoperative sentinel lymph node mapping in patients with colorectal cancer. Hepatogastroenterology. 2009;56(89):99-105.
- Ivanov K, Kolev N, Tonev A, Nikolova G, Krasnaliev I, Softova E, Tonchev A. Comparative analysis of prognostic significance of molecular markers of apoptosis with clinical stage and tumor differentiation in patients with colorectal cancer: a single institute experience. Hepatogastroenterology. 2009;56(89):94-98.
- Ivanov K, Diacov, C. Three-dimensional endoluminal ultrasound - new staging technique in patients with rectal cancer. Dis Col Rectum. 1997;40(1):47-50.
List of selected book chapters published abroad
- Ignatov V, Kolev N, Tonev A, Shterev Sht, Encheva E, Kirilova T, Teneva Ts, Ivanov K. Diagnostic modalities in colorectal cancer - endoscopy, CT and PET scanning, magnetic resonance imaging (Mri), endoluminal ultrasound and intraoperative ultrasound. In: Colorectal cancer - surgery, diagnostics and treatment. Khan JS, ed. Rijeka, InTech, 2014, 29-51.
- Ivanov K, Kolev N, Shterev I, Tonev A, Ignatov V, Bojkov V, Kirilova T. Adjuvant treatment in colorectal cancer. In: Colorectal cancer - surgery, diagnostics and treatment. Khan JS, ed. Rijeka, InTech, 2014, 305-328.
- Kolev N, Ignatov V, Tonev A, Kirilova T, Ivanov G, Zlatarov A, Ivanov K. Surgical strategies for liver metastases from colorectal cancer. In: Colorectal cancer - surgery, diagnostics and treatment. Khan JS, ed. Rijeka, InTech, 2014, 165-189.
- Tonev A, Kolev N, Ignatov V, Bojkov V, Kirilova T, Ivanov K. Laparoscopy in the management of colorectal cancer. In: Colorectal cancer - surgery, diagnostics and treatment. Khan JS, ed. Rijeka, InTech, 2014, 101-124.
- Ignatov V, Tonev A, Kolev N, Zlatarov A, Shterev Sht, Kirilova T, Ivanov K. Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early colon cancer. In: Colorectal cancer - from pathogenesis to treatment. Rodrigo L, ed. Rijeka, InTech, 2016, 165-182.
- Ignatov V, Tonev A, Kolev N, Zlatarov A, Shterev Sht, Petrov D, Kirilova T, Ivanov K. Laparoscopy in the management of colon cancer. In: Colorectal cancer - from pathogenesis to treatment. Rodrigo L, ed. Rijeka, InTech, 2016, 201-210.
- Kolev N, Ignatov V, Tonev A, Zlatarov A, Naydenova B, Ivanov G, Petrov D, Ivanov K. Simultaneous surgery for synchronous colorectal liver metastases. In: Colorectal cancer - from pathogenesis to treatment. Rodrigo L, ed. Rijeka, InTech, 2016, 257-269.
- Shterev I, Kolev N, Ignatov V, Tonev A, Zlatarov A, Konsoulova A, Entcheva E, Drenakova P, Ivanov K. Adjuvant treatment in colon cancer. In: Colorectal cancer - from pathogenesis to treatment. Rodrigo L, ed. Rijeka, InTech, 2016, 271-281.
Publications
Open Access