Stephanie Friedman, fifth-year medical student, was awarded second prize at the IV European Student Symposium on Anatomical Research in Salamanca, Spain. The event was organized by the European Federation of Experimental Morphology under the auspices of the 31st Congress of the Spanish Anatomical Society and brought together students from 12 European countries who competed with each other.
The project entitled "Improving Osteological Anatomy with Innovative and Accessible 3D Technologies" demonstrated a full workflow - from scanning the University's existing osteological collection, uploading it to a web platform and finally printing reproducible 3D replicas.
The resulting models show high accuracy compared to the originals with less than 1% variability, which emphasises the high quality of the workflow and makes it a reliable and accessible tool, ready to be implemented in the anatomical curriculum of the University. This will allow both practical and theoretical training of students and wider application in medical education.
The project was headed by Dr. Andreas Contni, Dr. Petar Valchanov, and under the supervision of Prof. S. Pavlov, Head of the Department of Anatomy. They are actively seeking the advancement of 3D technologies and their implementation in medicine and education. The team has created an environment where students can actively participate in the scientific life of the University and establish MU-Varna as a leader in 3D technologies and modern anatomical education.
Stephanie's participation was supported by the Bulgarian Anatomical Society, under the supervision of Prof. L. Zhelev (Medical University– Sofia) and Prof. Anton Tonchev (MU–Varna), who nominated her to represent Bulgaria and sponsored her trip to the Symposium.
The EFEM Symposium is one of the most competitive European forums for young researchers in the field of Morphology and Anatomy. The award at this level testifies both the quality of Stephanie’s work and the high level of support provided to young researchers at MU-Varna.
“I am honoured to have been selected by my Department, the University and the Bulgarian Anatomical Society to represent our work in Spain. Winning an award for our efforts makes me feel incredibly proud!” said Stephanie Friedman.
This is the third time that MU-Varna has been awarded an EFEM Award for Student Studies, demonstrating the role of MU-Varna as a leader in innovation, research and collaboration. Stephanie and her mentors aim to expand the use of 3D technologies in the future, applying them to other areas of medical education and other sectors of the University, and thus to strengthen the position of MU-Varna on the European scientific scene.
