veterianry ophthalmology

Stefan Savov, DVM, MRCVS

Who is Dr Stefan Savov?

It is quite hard to answer that question.
Firstly, I`m just a normal person who enjoys life and learning. I think life is extremely beautiful.
Secondly, I am a veterinary surgeon. I definitely like animals. What I mostly enjoy about my job is when the pet is healed and is back to its normal behaviour, happily waging its tail – priceless. Currently I am doing general internship in Willows referrals close to Birmingham UK. It is a very busy program with rotations by different disciplines like Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Internal medicine, Oncology, Neurology, Image diagnostics, etc. The hospital is amazing and the team is very friendly.

2.How many times you live abroad?

I have been abroad many times.
My first time abroad was in Italy in 2008 for 4 months. There I did internship program in one emergency clinic in Pavia – close to Milan. After that for short periods of time I have been in France, England and twice in Israel. In 2012 I went back to Italy where I worked for 8 months for the same clinic as before. After that I did more focused internship in Ophthalmology in a referral clinic close to Bologna. Then I moved to the UK where I started to work as sole charge vet in first opinion practice close to London. In general I have spent quite a long time abroad.

3.Why you left your country?

That is a very complicated question – I think the main reason was because I managed to achieve quite a lot here in Bulgaria in my field but I still felt that I need more and more things to learn. Unfortunately this couldn’t be done in Bulgaria. One thing lead to another and I packed my luggage and documents and I started to travel. I am happy to say that I was very well accepted everywhere and that over a short period of time I realised how much more I can study. This is the reason that I am doing my third internship program.

4. Differences between vetеrinary medicine on the Balkans and West Europe?

In my opinion there aren`t many differences. In Bulgaria there are several places where the level of Veterinary medicine is very high. One of the main differences, of course, is the money. Veterinary medicine is a really expensive job. More than 90% of the medical procedures are really underestimated but sadly that is the economic reality. Of course, that reflects on how Bulgarian clients spend for their pets. In UK there is a really well developed insurance system for pets. This allows the owners to use the services of specialists and, if necessary, really expensive investigations, and treatment plans to be performed. I think this is the main difference.

5.Do you think to turn back in your country?

Bulgaria is always in my heart and mind. I really cannot answer when I will be back but it could happen sooner or later. If I stay to work abroad I am sure that I will continue to come back as a speaker for workshops, seminars and congresses. I want to give all this knowledge that I am collecting to my colleagues. This is one of the best ways for our profession to go ahead in the eastern countries.

6. What do you think about Vets on The Balkans?

The journal is a really brilliant idea. I read all the articles. I find some really good examples there. It has proved that veterinarians on Balkans are no worse than the colleagues in the western countries. I wish you more and more interesting cases shared on the pages of the journal and lots of luck.

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Dr Iuliana Ionascu

She is one impressive woman…. person with capital letter “P”. I am writing this article from the bottom of my heart and with big pleasure that I can do this.

I saw her for the first time on AMVAC annual congress , then one guy pointed her out and told me “ this is our professor of ophthalmologic in the University ,she is wonderful lady”. I saw how many people went to her and spoke and hugged her. Some part of me was jealous that Romanians have professor like her.

At the next meeting with her , we already were talking about PhD opportunities and she invited all Bulgarian vets who are interested in ophthalmology to visit and stay with her at Veterinary Faculty in Bucharest, Romania. Impressive … I have never seen something like that. She is open, so lovely person, ready to do everything for her colleagues from foreign country.

She is born 11october 1967 in the city of lernut, Mures county. She graduated in Bucharest Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, class 1997.
She begins her teaching activity in 1998 at the Necropsy Diagnostic Department of the same faculty, under the guidance of Associate Professor Dr Anca Lungu.
She continues her teaching activity in the Surgery Department where in 2005, under the guidance of Professor Dr Ion Miclaus, she presents her PhD thesis entitled “Clinical aspects, morphs-pathological changes and treatment in lens pathology in dogs and cats” .
The published scientific papers and books are mainly in the veterinary ophthalmology fields. These include clinical research, comparative therapies , morphological and microscopes aspects of different lesions of the ocular globe and its annexes.

Invited to International and Romanian scientific meetings as a speaker, she proposes subjects that answer veterinary practitioners questions and she brings the most up-to-date information regarding the diagnosis, ophthalmological surgical techniques or comparative therapeutic plans.

As a president of the Romanian Association of Veterinary Ophthalmology she is the initiator and the organizer of specialized workshops and conferences.

She is perfect example of excellent professional. She is model for good job and if I have half of her way of working I will be proud . When I saw her for the first time at her work place, in the faculty clinic… she is like a wind. She is working and around her have a lot of students, PhD students. All of them love her. She is born to be a teacher. If every country has one vet like her we all will live in better world! We all can learn from her , not only ophthalmology, we should learn how to be better people , how to help and support each other, how to share our knowledge and experience, how to share our possibilities with the other people!

RESPECT and REVERENCE Madam Ionascu !!!!!!!!!!

(how they called her in Romania)

We all are proud to be part of your life and professional way!