The 44th National Meeting of the Association of Medical Students in Bulgaria took place from April 19th to 21st, 2024, at the Medical Faculty of Trakia University in Stara Zagora. The event gathered 250 medical students from all Medical Universities. Prof. Dr. Rumen Stefanov, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eleonora Hristova, and Asst. Dr. Kostadin Dimitrov from Institute for Rare Diseases and Medical University of Plovdiv participated in the event.
Prof. Dr. Rumen Stefanov and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eleonora Hristova presented the main challenges of rare diseases and medical education, highlighting the lack of knowledge about rare diseases and potential sources for qualification of medical students. As part of their lecture, an educational quiz on rare diseases and orphan drugs was held, and three students: Polina Ignatova (AMSB-Sofia Medical University), Meriam Chilingirova and Boryana Gospodinova (AMS-Plovdiv)) with outstanding knowledge were awarded and granted participation in the 15th National Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs, 13-19.09.2024.
Assistant Dr. Kostadin Dimitrov led the workshop “Orphanet Nomenclature and Classification of Rare Diseases: Basic Guidelines,” and demonstrated the most comprehensive global databases for rare diseases – Orphanet, directed towards both patients with rare diseases and medical specialists. The advantages of Orphanet’s specific nomenclature for rare diseases were presented, ensuring visibility of rare diseases in health information systems, operational compatibility between healthcare facilities, regions, and countries, and allowing evidence-based decisions based on comprehensive epidemiological data. Dr. Dimitrov provided a practical demonstration illustrating how medical professionals can access and search precise information about rare diseases on the Orphanet digital platform.
