Meet MUSC’s Chief Integration Officer – Dr. Markova

Throughout her career, Dr. Tsveti Markova has been a champion for academic medicine.

As MUSC's first chief integration officer, the Bulgarian native brings that passion - along with experience and knowledge - to a role vital to MUSC Health's mission.

And although she just arrived in August, she has a clear-eyed assessment of the state's health care needs and MUSC Health's role in meeting them.

"I see myself as an ambassador advocating for the academic mission throughout the entire MUSC Health system," she says. "The expansion of that mission is critical."

Dr. Markova will spearhead MUSC Health's priority to expand graduate medical education to MUSC's health system and affiliate hospitals and build collaborations with the state's health systems, academic institutions and community organizations.

"South Carolina has a tremendous need for primary care doctors and specialists brought about by retirements, an aging population that needs more care, and a maldistribution of doctors, particularly in the rural areas," she says. "More health care providers are needed to improve access, safety and quality."

Although the state has robust medical education, more graduate medical education opportunities are critical to boosting the number of doctors delivering care in interdisciplinary teams. Expanding GME will provide a pipeline for new graduates to stay in the system, learn in the system with other health care providers and hopefully remain in the state to practice medicine, she says.

Her immediate goal is to assess the academic needs and resources of MUSC Health and affiliate hospitals and work with their leadership, as well as leaders at hospitals and academic institutions around the state to create a consortium for sharing best practices and learning from one another.

A self-described educator at heart, Dr. Markova envisioned another path in medicine while growing up near the Black Sea: Her intent was to have her own family medicine practice in the United States and do it all, from delivering babies and caring for elderly patients with chronic conditions, to performing minor surgeries.

"That all changed when my residency program director at North Oakland Medical Centers in Michigan asked, 'Why don't you consider academic medicine? You have that potential and, as chief resident, you've been teaching students and other residents.' The rest is history."

That conversation launched a 25-year career in medical education at Wayne State University. A tenured professor, Dr. Markova assumed progressive leadership responsibilities, most recently as the senior associate dean for Graduate Medical Education, endowed chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, and lead co-primary investigator for the Michigan Area Health Education Center (AHEC).

Along the way she earned national recognitions and awards for innovation and leadership in the full continuum of medical education from the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education), and AIAMC (Alliance of Independent Medical Centers), among others.

Dr. Markova also served on boards and committees of several national organizations. She chaired the Steering Committee of the Group of Resident Affairs at the AAMC and worked closely with the ACGME's Clinical Learning Environment Review and the AMA's Reimagining Residency initiative. She has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and given numerous national, state and regional presentations.

As she and her husband, Peter, settle into another coastal city, Dr. Markova says she was drawn to MUSC by its research and scholarship and the commitment and passion of leaders, physicians, staff and students.

"The commitment to excellence in clinical care through innovative initiatives, such as telehealth and the commitment to improving access, quality and safety, impressed me and resonated with me in a strong way."

She says the chance to help realize MUSC Health's academic potential and improve health and well-being of the communities through innovation in education and research was irresistible.

"I felt I could jump in and contribute in a meaningful way and provide value to the organization. I'm very excited and privileged to join the team and I'm trying to learn as fast as I can."