of the Council of Ministers. In 2021 The Ministry of Education and Culture awarded MU of Plovdiv the status of a research university. The university is one of the seven higher education institutions in Bulgaria having this status, introduced in the Law on Higher Education in 2020. It is awarded for significant contribution to the development of important public areas through top scientific research and high results of scientific research activity, evaluated according to objective indicators. Rectors 1945 - 1946 - Prof. Dr. Georgi YANKOV - rector of PU 1945 – 1946 - Prof. Dr. Petar NIKOLOV, first dean of the Medical faculty. 1946 – 1947 - Prof. Dr. Tsvetan KRISTANOV 1946 – 1947 - Prof. Dr. Bogoya YURUKOV 1947 – 1948 - Academician Hristo DASKALOV, rector of PU 1947 – 1948 - Prof. Dr. Mikhail RASHEV 1948 – 1950 - Associate Professor Dr. Stefan DIMITROV 1950 – 1953 - Prof. Dr. Elisey YANEV, first rector of HMI-Plovdiv 1953 – 1957 - Prof. Dr. Zhivko LAMBREV 1957 – 1964 - Prof. Dr. Todor ZACHARIEV 1964 – 1966 - Prof. Dr. Anton MITOV 1966 – 1973 - Prof. Dr. Peyu MISHEV 1973 – 1977 - Prof. Dr. Ivan TOLEV, Dean of the Medical faculty at the MA 1979 – 1981 - Prof. Dr. Vuko MITKOV 1981 – 1985 - Prof. Dr. Konstantin TSONEV 1985 – 1989 - Prof. Dr. Lubomir GRIGOROV 1989 – 1991 - Prof. Dr. Petar BOTUSHANOV 1991 – 1995 - Prof. Dr. Panayot SOLAKOV 1995 – 2003 - Prof. Dr. Atanas DJURDJEV 2003 – 2011 - Assoc. Dr. Georgi PASKALEV 2011 – 2019 – Corresponding member Prof. Dr. Stefan KOSTIANEV 2019 - to date: Prof. Dr. Marianna MURDJEVA Governance The governing bodies of the Medical University - Plovdiv are the General Assembly, the Academic Council, and the Rector. The governing bodies of the higher education institution are elected for a four-year term. The Control Board, the Board of Trustees and the University Quality Management Board also function as interaction and control bodies. Academic symbols of MU of Plovdiv The coat of arms of the Medical University of Plovdiv combines several main symbols of the higher school. In the centre of the composition is the staff of Asclepius - a symbol of healers and the medical profession, located in the general frame of an open book, which represents the transmission of knowledge and the development of science. The book