The Department of Surgical Diseases was established in 1962. Initially its base was the surgical department of the City Hospital - Varna. In 1962 the first assistants Dr. T. Todorov, dr. N. T. N. I. Janchev. The next assistants to be appointed are D. D. Kornovski, dr. Kuzmanov, and from 1979 - Dr. D. S. Glinkov.
In 1967, the Department was relocated to the newly built block on the territory of the POKB - Varna, together with the Department of Surgical Propaedeutics. The founder and head (until 1963) of the Department of Surgical Diseases was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petar Altinkov. In the academic year 1963/1964 the head of the Department was Assoc. Dr. Peyo Mishev. In the academic year 1964/1965, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Totyo Andreev was elected Head of the Department, and from 1968 until his retirement in 1976 - Prof. Dr. Petar Alt'nkov. In 1972 the two surgical departments were integrated, and in 1979 they were separated again. In the period 1976-1980 the head of the Department of Surgical Diseases was Prof. Dr. Andrey Stoychev, from 1980-1988 - Prof. Dr. Georgi Georgiev, and from 1988-1996 - Prof. Dr. Petar Chervenkov. From 1996 to 2004 the head of the Department of Surgical Diseases was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yako Kuzmanov. From 2004 to 2012 the Head of the Department of Surgical Diseases was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Radoslav Stoyanov Radev.
Prof. Dr. T. Andreev graduated in medicine in Austria in 1940, after which he worked at the University of Medical Sciences in Sofia as an assistant professor and at the Department of Urology of ISUL - as a senior assistant and associate professor.
Prof. Dr. P. Altinkov is a student of Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov. He worked under prof. Kapitanov in the Department of Surgical Diseases Propedeutics of the University of Medical Sciences - Sofia, and was one of the first assistants in the Department of Operative Surgery with Topographic Anatomy under the supervision of prof. Brochovich from Moscow. Prof. Dr. Altonkov was a pioneer in the transfusion of preserved blood in our country.
Prof. Dr. Georgiev graduated from VMI - Sofia in 1947 and joined VMI - Varna in 1961 as an assistant. In 1975 he was elected associate professor, defended his doctoral dissertation in 1983 and in 1986 was elected professor.
Prof. Dr. P. Prof. Chervenkov graduated in medicine in 1954 and was appointed assistant professor in 1963. He defended his thesis in 1974. Since 1973 he has been the head of the Clinic of Biliary-Liver Surgery. He was elected Associate Professor in 1975, defended his doctoral thesis in 1984 and was elected Professor in 1986. Prof. Chervenkov is one of the pioneers with a great contribution to the development of biliary and pancreatic surgery in our country.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kuzmanov graduated medicine in 1965, was elected assistant professor in 1966, defended his PhD thesis in 1986 and was elected associate professor in 1989. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kuzmanov is the founder and head of the Thoracic Surgery Clinic at the department.
Prof. Dr. Radoslav Stoyanov Radev, MD, graduated in Faculty of Medicine at the Medical Academy - Sofia in 1979. He specialized in surgery in 1986 and in thoracic surgery in 2001. He worked as a resident in the Surgical Department, Tolbuhin - 1979-81; Surgical Cabinet of the Polyclinic - Devnya - 1981 - 1983; Assistant at the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic - 1983; Senior Assistant at the Thoracic Surgery Clinic - 1986; Chief Assistant at the Thoracic Surgery Clinic - 1989; Head of the Thoracic Surgery Clinic since 2004. Since 2011, he has been Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Medical University - Varna. He specialized in cardiac surgery at the Medical Academy - Sofia in 1984. He defended his doctoral dissertation in 2000. He has over 90 scientific publications and reports in Bulgaria and abroad. He was habilitated as an associate professor in 2003. Since 2013 he has been a professor at the Department of Surgical Diseases.
In 2012, Prof. Dr. Rossen Madjov, MD, PhD DSc, was elected Head of the Department. Under his leadership, dissertations for the acquisition of the ESD "Doctor" were defended in the Department by Dr. Vasil Markov Bozhkov - 2013, Dr. Plamen Milchev Chernopolski - 2015, Dr. Plamen Tsvetanov Arnaudov - 2015, Dr. Dilyan Svilenov Chaushev - 2017, Dr. Atanas Iliev Lisnichkov - 2018, Dr. Todor Ivanov Ivanov 2019, Dr. Hristo Yuri Nikov - 2023.
In 2015, Dr. Vasil Bozhkov, MD, PhD in 2016, Dr. Plamen Chernopolski, MD, PhD and Dr. Plamen Arnaudov, MD, PhD acquired AD "Associate Professor". In the period 2016-2023, Assoc. Prof. Bozhkov, MD PhD is Head of the ES Abdominal Surgery.
In 2024, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vasil Markov Bozhkov, MD PhD and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Plamen Milchev Chernopolski, MD PhD defended their dissertations and received the title of Doctor of Science. In the same year, Assoc. Prof. Bozhkov MD PhD DSc was elected Head of the Department, and Assoc. Prof. Chernopolski, MD PhD DSc was elected Head of ES - Abdominal Surgery.
