+ WHAT WAS THE FIRST STEP YOU TOOK INTO MEDICINE?

Coming from a family of doctors, I grew in an environment where my relatives heavily relied on the physicians in the family. I liked the idea of physicians taking that responsibility and using their extensive knowledge for healing, an act so sacrosanct and personal.

As I engaged with biology and chemistry courses in high school, I realized my passion for biomedical research and wanted to learn more about the human body's collaboratively functioning systems. After attending several biomedical research academies in the United States of America and experiencing a hands-on approach, I realized that "wet lab" research lacked the fundamental communication between the researcher and the patient, an imperative concept I seeked for. I desired to use my knowledge and problem-solving skills to impact people on a more personal level, by sitting next to them, alleviating their suffering and finding feasible solutions to their problems.

Volunteering at Ankara University Hospital and shadowing the physicians in my family gave me that satisfaction I was looking for. In a place where research could be applied in a clinical setting and professionals could interact with patients on a very personal level, there was nothing I was not happy about. It was at that moment when I started thinking seriously about becoming a doctor.

+ WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE VOLUNTEERING WITH TERMINAL CARE PATIENTS?

Growing up in a large family in a small house fostered strong ties among my relatives and I frequently found myself looking after my grandfather, a retired pulmonologist, when my grandmother went grocery shopping or when guests came to the house. I would get to listen to my grandfather's many stories, some about his time in the Istanbul Sanatorium during the TB outbreak, some about the reforms of the National Hero Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and even some about WWII. I would get to swing in the red swings with my grandfather in the park and go on secret tours in the bazaars of Ankara. I would get to spend time with an amazing best friend.

During my senior year of high school, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disease that accounts for more than half of the cases of dementia in the world. Even though it was the third relative of mine who had Alzheimer's, I was struck at how the disease changed my acute, lively and caring grandfather and best friend into a figure who just looked at me pointlessly. I thought something could be done; after all, there were many physicians in the family. But I was wrong. I still remember that day when I felt truly helpless. After 20 hard months, my grandfather passed away, leaving joyful memories behind. I wondered if my grandfather could have passed away at the comfort of his home, with all of us around him. Maybe he did not want to be in the hospital.

A few months later, I had a chance to learn about hospice from a guest speaker in college. Having a conversation with the speaker afterwards, I was intrigued by the fact that there were many care centers that focused on pain palliation and attended to their emotional needs, a concept not present in Turkey.

I joined the Student Hospice Organization of Penn (SHOOP) and became a hospice volunteer at the Penn Center for Rehabilitation and Care, a long-term care center for hospice patients. Emotionally struggling at first, I soon felt empowered after my grieving period: Hospice was my way of reconnecting with terminally ill patients like my grandfather. In time, I started viewing hospice not as a place of grief and despair, but as a place to celebrate the end to a great life. I hope to instill in every patient this feeling of celebration as a physician in the future.

+ WHAT TYPE OF PHYSICIAN DO YOU WANT TO BE?

I aspire to be an academic ophthalmologist. I see myself merging my interests in providing compassionate patient care, leading clinical research efforts in posterior segment disease, and plating an active role in medical education and mentorship. I aspire to work hard to advocate for trainees and become a leader within my department and in academic medicine.

+ WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?

In my free time, I enjoy FaceTime and real-time with friends and family, meditate, watch TV shows, cook food, play the flute, and read books. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, I have also been hiking and loving the nature around.

+ BEST QUOTE YOU TRY TO LIVE BY?

Brazilian writer Fernando Sabino said, "In the end, everything will be OK. If it is not OK, it is not the end yet." After working as hard as you can, believe that everything will work out the way it is supposed to be. I try to remind myself that everyday!