I was born in 1961 in the Ermenek district of Karaman.
My Education:
I completed my primary, secondary, and high school education in Mersin. Despite all objections from family and clan elders, I studied with the support of my parents from the beginning of middle school. I became the first person in my family and clan to pursue education. Following me, my three siblings also continued their education and became doctors.
In the 1979 university entrance exam, I ranked first in İçel province and was admitted to Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine. During my education, I worked in the outpatient clinics of Mersin State Hospital during the summer months. I completed my medical education in 1985.
General Surgery Training:
In 1990, I started my specialization training in the General Surgery Clinic under the Chief Surgeon Op. Dr. Arslan Kaygusuz at what was formerly known as SSK Samatya Hospital (now the Ministry of Health Istanbul Training and Research Hospital). There, as the first female general surgery assistant, I worked without gender discrimination alongside my male colleagues. After a demanding four-year period filled with intense shifts, I became a specialist in 1994.
Places Where I Worked:
Muğla State Hospital: After graduation, due to mandatory service, I worked as a general practitioner at Muğla State Hospital. During this period, especially in the summer months, I worked in the emergency outpatient clinic and internal medicine outpatient clinic with a very high patient volume.
Silivri Health Group Presidency: I worked in the field of preventive medicine at the Silivri health center for three months.
SSK Şişli Hospital: My first assignment as a specialist in 1994 was at this hospital where I worked for a year. In this hospital, with limited facilities, I performed around 150 surgeries, including major operations for stomach and intestinal cancer, breast cancer, among others.
Ministry of Health Istanbul Training and Research Hospital (Formerly SSK Samatya Hospital): At the end of 1995, I returned as a specialist to Samatya Hospital, where I received my specialization.
Private Practice and Hospital Medicine: During my time as a specialist at Samatya Hospital, I served in my own private office. I provided part-time services to female patients seeking a female general surgery specialist in some private hospitals. After the Full-Day Law was enacted, I closed my practice to work solely at the Istanbul Training and Research Hospital.
Private Medicine:
After working for 30 years in public service, I retired from the public sector in 2015 and started working in the private sector.