Assoc. Prof. Elisaveta Petrova-Geretto, PhD

Biography:

Elisaveta Petrova-Geretto has a background in the humanities, holding a BA (Hons) in Social Policy, a European Master’s in Human Rights, a MSc in European Politics, as well as a Master’s and PhD in Public Health. She has participated in the International Leadership Program (USA), the International Leadership Academy (Germany), and a capacity-building program at the École Nationale d’Administration (France). Elisaveta was also a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at Emory University (2021–2022) and a Woodruff Health Educators Academy Fellow (2022–2023).

Before joining her faculty, Elisaveta worked at a hospital, where she implemented quality and patient safety guidelines and was a member of the hospital’s accreditation team. She also worked at the National Health Insurance Fund and the Agency for Economic Analysis before transferring to the Ministry of Environment. As Head of the Cabinet, she coordinated with various stakeholders to negotiate and adopt the acquis communautaire in environmental protection and management. Additionally, she served as national staff during five consecutive OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Missions in Bulgaria and was a member of the Precinct Election Commission (PEC) in Atlanta, Georgia, during the 2021 Bulgarian Parliamentary and Presidential Elections. Currently, Elisaveta teaches at the Medical College-Sofia and also works as a part-time expert at the Bulgarian Medical Association.

Publications and scientific interests:

She has 64 publications, including two monographs and a book chapter. Between 2016 and 2024, she has participated in 35 scientific forums in Bulgaria and abroad, with her work receiving 73 Bulgarian and 18 international citations. Elisaveta is involved in several multi-annual national and international projects as a team member, including one where she serves as principal investigator.

Membership in organizations:

Her research focuses on medical ethics and deontology, quality and patient safety (QPS), health literacy, human capital, compassion and compassionate care, cultural humility, generational differences, diversity and inclusion, health management, and communications. Elisaveta is a member of several professional organizations, including EMAlumni (Human Rights and Democratization), Fulbright/Humphrey Alumni, UNESCO Bioethics Teachers, the National Association of Health Policy and Management, the Bulgarian Public Health Scientific Society, and ASPHER (collective membership).