Dr. Guergana Panayotova completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and French Literature at Johns Hopkins University. She subsequently earned her Public Health Masters Degree in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, followed by her MD at Georgetown University. She then began her General Surgery training at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). For her clinical performance, she was awarded the Intern of the Year and ICU Resident of the Year awards. Following three clinical years of residency, she selected to pursue dedicated basic science research with the Rutgers NJMS Division of Transplant and HPB Surgery, as the Transplant Surgery Research Fellow, under the mentorship of Dr. James V. Guarrera. Dr. Panayotova is currently completing her Ph.D. training in Transplant Immunology, studying machine preservation and the molecular mechanisms of organ injury and protection, comparing perfusion to standard of care cold storage. While in the lab, she has been awarded numerous honors, including the ASTS-Jon Fryer Resident Scientist Scholarship and the AASLD Emerging Liver Scholar awards. Dr. Panayotova has presented her work at both national and international meetings, and her submissions have been selected for basic science and clinical outcomes awards. Dr. Panayotova is actively involved in various leadership roles at her institution. She is the President of the Rutgers NJMS Residents Council (2020-present), serving in her third term in this peer-elected position. She also represents the NJMS residents at the Rutgers Biomedical Sciences and Health Systems (RBHS) level, as a member of the Executive Residents Council. She is a member of the NJMS and RBHS Resident Wellness Committees and the Rutgers NJMS Faculty Council.