Ivailo Tournev

Professor Ivailo Tournev, MD, DSc, is a prominent neurologist and medical geneticist at New Bulgarian University's Department of Cognitive Science and Psychology, where he served as Department Head (2013-2016) and currently serves on the Board of Trustees. Concurrently, he leads the Clinic for Nervous Diseases at University Hospital 'Alexandrovska' in Sofia. His career spans over three decades with appointments at Medical University-Sofia and extensive international collaborations.

Dr. Tournev's research focuses on neuromuscular disorders in Roma populations, where he has identified multiple novel genetic diseases including CCFDN syndrome and various forms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. His work bridges clinical neurology, medical genetics, and epidemiology, with particular emphasis on founder effects in isolated populations. Recent publications demonstrate his leadership in next-generation sequencing applications for rare diseases and genotype-phenotype correlations in Wilson disease and epilepsy.

His scientific contributions include over 80 publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Genetics, Brain, and American Journal of Human Genetics, with research trends showing increasing focus on molecular diagnostics and translational applications. He has received numerous awards including the Merrill Spencer Award and Bulgaria's highest medical honor, the Pitagor Award.

• Merrill Spencer Award (European Society for Neurosonology)
• Pitagor Award (Ministry of Education)
• National Medical Award for Overall Contribution to Medicine
• Golden Coin Pismenost (European Scientific Council)
• Multiple first-place poster awards at National Neurology Congresses

As scientific supervisor, he has mentored over 20 doctoral students specializing in neuromuscular disorders, epilepsy, and medical genetics. His leadership extends to major European projects including TREAT-NMD and CARE-NMD networks. Dr. Tournev directs the Expert Center for Genetic Neurological and Metabolic Diseases and has secured continuous research funding from national and international sources including the European Commission, AFM, and Wellcome Trust.