Digital Health Forum

Associate Professor Dr. Anton Tonev, MD

Member of Parliament from Continuing the Change, Chairman of the Health Care Committee in the National Assembly

Prof. Asena Serbezova, Ph.D.

Minister of Health

Bozhidar Bozhanov

Minister of e-Governance (2021-2022)

Bozhidar Bozhanov is an IT expert and entrepreneur and a promoter of an information security company. He has significant experience in e-government development; as an expert he has been involved in drafting a number of amendments to laws and strategy papers. He is member of the Da, Bulgaria Executive Council.
Bozhidar Bozhanov is a graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London. He was a member of the group of IT experts Obshtestvo.bg working to develop better digital tools for communication between the Government and citizens. He takes an active part in e-government promotion.
Bozhidar Bozhanov was born in Bourgas, Bulgaria and grew up in Dimitrovgrad. He has lived in Sofia and Amsterdam.
Member of Parliament (47th National Assembly), elected on the ticket of Democratic Bulgaria in the 26th Multi-seat Constituency, Sofia Region.
Minister of e-Government in the cabinet elected by the 47th National Assembly on 13 December 2021.

adv. Maria Sharkova

Managing partner in Sharkova & Partners Law Firm

Lawyer Maria Sharkova is a managing partner in Sharkova & Partners Law Firm. The company's team has many years of experience in consulting medical institutions, non-governmental organizations and patients and successfully leads cases in the field of healthcare. Lawyer Sharkova specializes in the United States and has worked as an intern in the Legal Program of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. In the field of medical law, there are many short-term trainings in the Netherlands, Spain and other European countries, and recently acquired the right to train for the Council of Europe platform HELP.

Prof. Dr. Petko Salchev

Manager of the National Health Insurance Fund

He graduated in Medicine in 1987 and Economics in 2003. From 1989 to 2011 he worked at the Department of Social Medicine and Health Management at MU - Sofia, having passed through all scientific and teaching degrees - assistant, chief assistant, associate professor. In the period 2008-2011 he was the Head of the Department. In 2001 he defended his dissertation on "The role of the general practitioner in Bulgaria". In 2003 he was elected associate professor, and in 2012 professor of social medicine. In 1996-1997 he was the Director of RHI - Sofia city. 2001-2003 - Director of Queen Joanna University Hospital. 2003 -2005 - Deputy Minister of Health. In November 2011 he was appointed to the Macroeconomics Section of the Institute for Economic Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Since 2011 he has been the Director of the Classification Systems Directorate at the NCPHA, which in 2015 was renamed the Classification Systems, Standards and Innovations Directorate. On March 13, 2020, with the votes of the MPs from the 44th National Assembly, he was elected governor of the National Health Insurance Fund.

Dr. Ivan Madjarov

Chairman of the Board of BMA

Dr. Ivan Madjarov was elected chairman of the professional organization of the 68th regular reporting and election fair of the BMA in June 2018.
Prior to heading the Bulgarian Medical Association, he was the manager of the Pulmed Hospital in Plovdiv and was the chairman of the board of the Bulgarian Hospital Association.
From 2013 to 2014 he was the director of RHIF Plovdiv.
From 2008 to 2013 he was the manager of Parvomay Hospital EOOD. From 1994 to 2008 he was an intern in the ENT department at the Plovdiv Hospital in Plovdiv.
Dr. Ivan Madjarov graduated from the Medical University - Plovdiv. He has a degree in "Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases" and a Master's degree in Health Management.

Dimitar Marinov

Secretary General of the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union

He graduated in pharmacy at the Medical University of Sofia in 2004.
He has a specialty in Organization and Economics of Distribution and Pharmacy Practice and a doctorate in Social Medicine and Health Management.
Since 2009 he has been a member of the Management Board of the Sofia Regional Pharmaceutical College, and in 2013-2019 he was Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of RFC Sofia.
Since February 2020 he has been the General Secretary of the Board of the Bulgarian Football Union.

Dr. Slaveyko Dzhambazov

Founder and Managing Director, HTA Ltd.

Alexander Simidchiev, MD

Deputy Chairman of the Healthcare Committee of the 47th National Assembly

Dr. Alexander Simidchiev has three medical specialties, but he practices pulmonology most biasedly. He is the head of the Department of Non-Invasive Diagnostics at the Medical Institute of the Ministry of Interior, he is also part of the team of the Pulmonology Department and the Respiratory Function Testing Laboratory at Lozenets University Hospital, a member of the Bulgarian Society of Pulmonary Diseases and the European Respiratory Society. He is a former pulmonologist in chief of GlaxoSmithKline, Canada. He has specialized at the Ruhrland Clinic in Essen, Germany and Hôpital de la Charité, Paris, France.

Atanas Simeonov

Founder, Owner of Ocean Investments

Atanas Simeonov is a well-known entrepreneur in the IT ecosystem, investor and health ambassador with solid experience, successful business strategy and strong desire to contribute positive change of business environment.
He defines Ocean Investments as a leading vehicle, directly focused in investing and developing of cyber-health-tech ideas, his goal is to interfere and change the business ecosystem and the quality of life in Bulgaria.
Ocean Investments is a family-owned investment company, focused on early-stage technology innovators in Europe, USA, Africa and Asia. Our mission is to identify and back the bold entrepreneurs with strong ideas, delivered by unique technology, customer traction and global ambition. Our dedication is to support them in their growth plans and help them realize their vision in rapid flight. Our industry focus is cybersecurity, health tech and real estate.
 

Iliyana Paunova

Executive Director of the Bulgarian Organization for Verification of Medicines (BOVL)

Iliana Paunova is the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Organization for Verification of Medicines (BOVL). The association was established in April 2016 by the five organizations representing stakeholders in the implementation of Directive 2011/62 / EU in Bulgaria.
Prior to that, as Director of GlaxoSmithKline for Bulgaria and the Adriatic, she worked for the development of the pharmaceutical industry and the introduction of innovative projects and investments in our country and the region. She has been Chair and Vice President of the Association of Research Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (ARPharM) several times.
In 2020, Iliana Paunova was invited by the European Organization for the Verification of Medicinal Products (EMVO) to participate in the working group for the implementation of the Directive against falsified medicines for medicines and vaccines for COVID-19 in the Member States of the European Economic Area.
She graduated in Informatics at the University of National and World Economy and specialized in Finance, Marketing and Management at INSEAD, Henley Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management and others.

Dr. Yavor Drenski

Manager of Uni Hospital and Executive Director of Assarel Panagyurishte Zdrave

Boris Kostadinov

Deputy Director of Software Integrations in Information Services

I have an unwavering passion for creating great and worthwhile software - the more complex and challenging it is, the better. In pursuing this passion, I've acquired numerous skills and in-depth knowledge in every area of the Software Development industry. I have experience managing software products and teams in diverse environments, driving forward innovation, designing and implementing processes, steering stakeholders towards short and long-term goals, handling clients and their expectations, and more. In my professional career, I strive to apply all acquired skills and knowledge for the benefit and good of the people who use my creations.

Radoy Pavlov

Head of Enterprise Architecture at University Hospital Zurich

Corresponding Member Prof. Nikolay Gabrovski

Chairman of the Bulgarian Society of Neurosurgery

Dr. Gabrovski graduated in medicine at the Medical Academy - Sofia in 1996. Initially he worked as a doctor in the Neuroreanimation of UMHAT "Queen Joanna".
He has been in the Clinic of Neurosurgery at Pirogov Hospital since 1997. In 2005, Dr. Gabrovski defended his dissertation on "Significance of the posterior connecting artery for neurosurgical practice." Since 2006 he has been the head of the neurooncology department. Since 2008 he has been an "Associate Professor" in neurosurgery. In 2010 he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Society of Neurosurgery. In 2011 he was elected Head of the Clinic of Neurosurgery of Pirogov University Hospital.
Since the beginning of 2011 he has been elected National Consultant in Neurosurgery at the Ministry of Health. In January 2012, Prof. N. Gabrovski was invited as an observer to the board of the European Brain Council, a coordinating non-governmental organization dedicated to the fight against diseases of the nervous system. The European Brains Council works closely with the committees of the European Union, the European Parliament, the World Health Organization and other bodies responsible for brain diseases.
In 2014 he was elected "Professor of Neurosurgery" at the Clinic of Neurosurgery of Pirogov University Hospital.
Prof. Nikolay Gabrovski is a member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Medical Union in 2015, and since June 9, 2018 he has been elected Deputy Chairman of the professional organization.
Since 2017 he has been Deputy Director for Medical Activities of the University Hospital "N.I. Pirogov ". In 2018, Prof. Nikolay Gabrovskie was elected Chairman of the Bulgarian Society of Neurosurgery.

Dr. Venelina Mileva

Executive Director of Acibadem City Clinic Tokuda Hospital and Acibadem City Clinic DCC Tokuda

Anjela Mizova

Owner and manager of a pharmacy

Prof. Nick Guldemond

Doctor of medicine and electric engineering and a Ph.D. from Maastricht University

Prof. Nick Guldemond holds degrees in medicine and electric engineering and a Ph.D. from Maastricht University. He was the CEO and founder of the Medical Field Lab (early 2000) and was the first international example of a university hospital-based ‘living lab’ dedicated to science, innovation, and societal impact. In 2017, he became Professor for Integrated Care and Technology at Sechenov Medical University, and since 2021, he is also Professor for Public Health and Healthcare. In addition, he holds a position as a Senior Researcher at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. During his career, Prof. Guldemond worked as a clinical researcher on numerous health innovation projects, often in collaboration with partners in the pharmaceutical, MedTech, health IT, and finance sectors. As a key expert on Health and integrated care, he is an Expert Member of the WHO Working Group Digital Health, WHO Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development, and a consultant for Health programs and medical curriculum development in various countries on different continents, NGO's, multinationals and start-ups. Prof. Guldemond also serves as the coordinator of EU EIP on Healthy and Active Ageing, an expert at the World's Organisation of Family Doctors WONCA, and an expert on the implementation of human rights in biomedicine at the European Council. He is also an associate editor for the Journal of Integrated Care and served as a member of the editorial board of the European Medical Journal.

Dr. Spas Kerimov

Founder and CEO of Printivo

Spas is founder and CEO of Printivo, biotech company creating living tissues & organoids with 3D-bioprinting technology. 
Spas is medical doctor with numerous international awards & recognition at European scientific congresses. He is interested in tissue engineering & regenerative medicine in particular 3D bio-printing of artificial human tissues and organs. Also, he is quite interest in Artificial Intelligence, Biotech revolution and the fate of Humanity.
Founder of Association of Students Explorers and International Biomedical Congress - Sofia. 
In 2015 he founded an Association of Students Explorers, an NGO with hundreds of members so far. The mission of the NGO is to help the universities to prepare better medical specialists.
In 2018 became one of the founders of the first Health and Life Sciences Cluster in Bulgaria.
Part of The ChangeMakers of Bulgaria Initiative at MOVE.BG. TEDx speaker. Speaker of popular science in Ratio. 40-to-40 Darik radio. Student of the Year, 2017. TOYP 2019 by JCI Bulgaria. 
 

Valeri Petrov

Partner at Eleven Ventures

Valeri is partner at Eleven and one of the pioneers of private equity in Bulgaria, as an investment director at Global Finance, later Partner at Bancroft Private Equity and Axxess Capital. He participated in 19 investments for nearly EUR 200m, and 7 exits for over EUR 80m. His managerial experience includes a position with Royal Dutch Shell as a Commercial Director for Bulgaria and Romania and CEO of Orgachim.
 

Vanya Choneva

Founder of Superdoc.bg and CMO at Healee

Vanya Choneva graduated from the American University in Bulgaria in 2001. For more than 10 years she has worked as a Marketing and Executive Director of pharma companies in Bulgaria and has over 20 years of executive experience in managing successful brands, teams, and companies. In 2015 Vanya founded Superdoc.bg – an online platform for scheduling doctors’ appointments, which was acquired by the digital health solution Healee in 2018. Both platforms already have more than 800K users in Bulgaria and have facilitated over 4 million online appointments and 100K virtual consultations with doctors.
 

Tatyana Stancheva

Associate Director, Supplier Services, IQVIA

Arkadi Sharkov

Macroeconomist, Expert Club for Economics and Politics (ECEP)

George Papagiannakis

Co-Founder & CEO/CTO of ORamaVR

George Papagiannakis is a computer scientist specialized in computer graphics systems, extended reality algorithms and geometric computational models. He obtained his PhD (Hons) in Computer Science at the University of Geneva in Switzerland in 2006, his M.Sc. (Hons) in Advanced Computing at the University of Bristol in UK and his B.Eng. (Hons) in Computer Systems Engineering, at the University of Manchester, UK.  He is Professor of Computer Graphics at the Computer Science department of the University of Crete, Greece and Affiliated  Research Fellow at the Human Computer Interaction Laboratory of the Institute of Computer Science in the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion, Greece,  where he leads the CG Group. He is also co-founder and CEO/CTO  at ORamaVR, a deep-tech, award-winning startup whose mission is to accelerate world’s transition to medical VR. Prior to this post, he had worked as a senior researcher and research assistant at MIRALab, University of Geneva. He has also been employed as consultant and lead graphics programmer in the industrial sector in Switzerland and currently he is also a visiting Professor at the University of Geneva, Computer Science Department.
His research and development interests are centered in the field of high-fidelity interactive computer graphics systems for human computer interaction, featuring embodied presence, psychomotor learning and gamification with simulated virtual humans in extended reality based on geometric algebra computational models. Research questions that drive this research are focusing on experiential medical VR training and virtual heritage, driven from geometric algebra GPU computational simulation andintelligent, symbiotic extended reality systems with virtual humans and related research fields. He has more than 100 publications in these topics and he is a member of CGS (Board Member), IEEE, Eurographics, ACM and SIGGRAPH professional societies. In 2011 he was awarded a Marie-Curie Intra-European Fellowship for Career Development from the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency. He was conference chair of the Computer Graphics International 2016 Conference, in cooperation with CGS, ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH and Eurographics Associations. In 2017 he published a Springer-Nature book on Mixed Reality and Gamification which achieved more than 77.000 downloads so far. Since 2011 his research has attracted more than 3M EUR external funding.

Gergana Stoitchkova

Investment Associate, Eleven Ventures

Gergana is part of the healthcare investment team at Eleven Ventures, one of the most active VC funds in the SEE region. Prior moving into healthcare, she was mainly experienced in fintech – as a program manager of the Visa Innovation Program run by Eleven and before that - as a Strategy Manager at Paynetics and Director of the Bulgarian Fintech Association, which she helped building from the ground up. Gergana is also a co-founder of 180 Degrees Consulting, a student driven consultancy, built upon informal education.
She holds BSc in Business Administration from LMU in Munich and MSc in Finance from Bocconi University in Milan.
 

Mircea Popa

Co-founder & CEO at Medicai

Mircea has more than 10 years experience in digital health and startups being a 2 time founder. In 2011 he founded SkinVision, a melanoma screening app that allows users to check their moles. In 2018 he left the company to start working on what was to become Medicai, a collaboration tool and network for doctors and patients that require complex data such as medical imaging.