Prof. Dr. Elitsa Encheva-Mitsova, MD is the head of Radiotherapy Department at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Metabolic Therapy and Radiotherapy. She graduated from Medical University Sofia in 2003. In 2004, she worked in the Department of Radiotherapy, SBALO, Sofia and from December 2004 to 2013, she worked and specialized in the Clinic of Radiotherapy, University Hospital "Tsaritsa Ioanna-ISUL", Sofia. She was board certified in radiotherapy in 2009. She was appointed a Honorary assistant professor in 2010-2011, MU-Sofia. In 2011, she obtained PhD degree with PhD thesis "Radiation side effects after irradiation of cervical and endometrial cancer - cytogenetic and molecular genetic methods for predicting individual radiosensitivity" and PhD tutor Prof. Dr. T. Hadzhieva at MU-Sofia. Since February 2013, she was appointed as Head of the newly established Radiotherapy Department at University Hospital "St. Marina", Varna, which later transformed into a Radiotherapy Clinic. She was appointed Chief Assistant Professor in 2013-2014, MU-Varna. In December 2014, she acquired the scientific title of Associate Professor at the Medical University-Varna-Department of Imaging and Radiotherapy. In 2014, she obtained a Master degree in "Public Health and Health Management". In 2018, she was awarded the scientific title of Professor at MU-Varna. She has conducted two long-term training fellowships, respectively in Germany (with a Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst scholarship 2006) and in Denmark (with a scholarship of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, 2007) and numerous short-term specializations and courses in Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Germany, Serbia, Switzerland, etc.
Prof. Dr. Elitsa Encheva is the local organiser of the first ESTRO (European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) teaching course held in Bulgaria. She is the only Bulgarian Radiation Oncologist involved in International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society (ISRS) training activities, as faculty member in 3 training courses and a speaker of 1 webinar.
Since 2021, she has been a reviewer for Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy and since 2023 for the Journal of Dermato-Oncology.
Prof. Encheva is in charge of Radiotherapy Postgraduate Training program at MU-Varna and long-time lecturer in the same program at MU-Sofia.
Prof. Dr. Elitsa Encheva is the holder of an honorary badge of the Bulgarian Medical Association in 2016 for contribution to the development and application of innovative medicine. In 2016, the Clinic of Radiotherapy, University Hospital "St. Marina", established and led by Prof. Dr. E. Encheva, was awarded the Varna Award 2016 for installation and commissioning of high-tech radiotherapy equipment. Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Elitsa Encheva, were introduced into practice all modern radiotherapy techniques in adults and children - IMRT, VMAT, IGRT, including radiosurgery SRS, SBRT. Prof. Encheva and her team introduced simultaneous chemoradiation and hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy in lung cancer for the first time in Bulgarian clinical practice; planning of radiotherapy with PET-CT for various tumors locations; techniques for deep inspiration breath hold device-controlled with ABC for tumors of the breast, lung, liver, etc.
Author of over 100 scientific papers in Bulgarian and International Journals with IF over 25 and over 400 citations in foreign journals. Author of 1 monograph on radiotherapy in children. Numerous participations in national and international forums. One participation in an international monograph. Co-author of the textbook on Neurosurgery in 3 volumes.
Member of the Guild of Bulgarian Radiation Oncologist, of the Bulgarian Radiology Association, of the European Society of Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), the International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society (ISRS) the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO).
