Our chair, George J. Netto, M.D., Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair, recently had the opportunity to visit the Medical University in Pleven and the Center of Competence Leonardo da Vinci in Bulgaria. The university is one of five medical campuses in Bulgaria and the newly established Center focuses on personalized medicine, 3D and telemedicine, robotic and minimally invasive surgery. In 2020 UAB, through leadership by the department, established a memorandum of understanding for a partnership with the university.

"Our institution stands out with its modern profile of leading educational and research center with priorities in robotic surgery, telemedicine, telesurgery and 3D medicine, attracting growing numbers of Bulgarian and international students," says Velina Dukova, spokesperson for the university. "Attracting renowned researchers and keynote lecturers like you in the field pathology is significant in our attempts to expand our horizons. Our aims are to attract world leading experts in our Center of Competence in personalized medicine, 3D medicine, robotic and minimally invasive surgery for training and research."

The university awarded Netto with their "Sign for Successful Partnership," a symbol of future long-term cooperation in order to expand academic and scientific exchange.

Netto's visit, which included him giving a lecture on "Genomic Advances in Urologic Malignancies," was covered broadly by local news outlets in the area.

This trip reflects a broader effort by the Department of Pathology to represent UAB and the Southeast internationally, with many of our faculty and researchers presenting at conferences across the nation and around the world. UAB Pathology has a memorandum of understanding to serve as a sister institution to the University of Zagreb, Croatia, as well as the Universidada San Francisco de Quito, Equador. A full list of UAB's international partners can be found here.