PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Head: Ayse Emel Onal, MD, Professor in Public Health Public Health Disciplines
1. Head of the Department of Environmental Health: Ayse Emel Onal, MD, Professor in Public Health
2. Head of Occupational Health Science: Halim Issever, PhD, Professor in Public Health
3. Head of Computer Applications in Medicine: Halim Issever, PhD, Professor in Public Health
Faculty members
Prof. Selma Karabey, MD
Prof. Nuray Özgülnar, MD
Prof. Ayşe Emel Önal, MD
Prof. Halim İşsever, PhD
Prof. Sevgi Canbaz, MD
Associate Prof. Hülya Gül, PhD
Faculty Member Meryem Merve Ören, MD
HISTORY
Department of Public Health was established by Ordinarius Professor Julius Hirsch in 1942 in Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine. The subsequent heads of the department have been Prof. Zeki Ragıp Yalım, Prof. Sıtkı Velicangil, Prof. Övat Güray, Prof. Yakut Irmak Özden, Prof. Bedia Ayhan Özyıldırım and Prof. Ayşe Emel Önal, respectively.
MISSION and VISION
MISSION
The main mission of our department is to provide theoretical and practical education in order to protect and improve individuals' and society's health besides gaining knowledge, skills and attitudes able to make initiatives to solve health problems. Our main goal is to raise our students in a way that they can contribute to public health with effective communication, management and leadership qualities in harmony with the health team they work with.
VISION
Our main objectives are to continue our education and research activities primarily recognizing that health is a fundamental human right and to the development of a health system in which health protection, therapeutic and rehabilitative health services are provided free of charge, without profit through the public administration.
SHORT-TERM AND MEDIUM-TERM TARGETS
Short Term: "Workplace and Employee Health Polyclinic'' has been providing service to employees and students of İstanbul Medical Faculty in health problems arising from work since 2013. We also make advises to faculty students/stuff about protection and prevention, and direct individuals who need immunisation to the "vaccine unit" to complete their necessary vaccinations.
"Smoking Cessation Polyclinic" and "Smoking Cessation Counseling" services were started in our department in 2019. "Occupational Health Polyclinic" services have also been started to provided in since the beginning of 2019.
Medium Term: İt is aimed to organize health promotion programs for various workplaces both in the public or private sector, including training and counseling on smoking cessation, healthy nutrition and healthy life skills training. The faculty members of our department will work as instructors in certified distance education programs on Environmental Health and other subjects organized by the Public Health Experts Association (HASUDER).
OTHER ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES AND SERVİCE 1.
Subspecialty or Fellowship Training
The department of public health includes environmental health, computer applications in medicine and occupational health departments. Occupational diseases subspecialty training (with a protocol) has been started in 2016. And also environmental health specialty training has been started to given since 2017.
One specialist has completed this protocoled occupational diseases program and two specialist students are currently studying in the program. A cooperation protocol was signed between the Ministry of Health, İstanbul Provincial Health Directorate and İstanbul University within the framework of the related program in 2018. Within the framework of this protocol, "Occupational Diseases Days" monthly meetings will be held for the third time in 2019-2020 academic year at T.C. Ministry of Health İstanbul Provincial Health Directorate İstanbul Süreyyapaşa Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital Occupational Diseases Additional Service Building.
2. Scientific Research
Scientific studies including community-based field studies and field surveys are carried out with the active participation of young researchers and students under the direction of faculty members.
Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used for our researches.
Although routine laboratory analysis services are not provided in our department, our researches are supported by audiometric tests, pulmonary function tests, blood lead level analysis, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde measurement in indoor air, microbiological examination of air and water.
Every year, researches are carried out on occupational diseases seen in two different line of work, periodic examinations of the employees are conducted and training is provided for the protection and improvement of occupational health.
3. Health Education
The Department of Public Health investigates environmental factors and the relationship between nutrition and health, communicable diseases and society, vulnerable groups, disaster management and aims to raise public awareness in the light of scientific studies.
4. Cooperation between institutions
Our department works in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Turkish Medical Association, Human Resources Development Foundation, schools, municipalities and non-governmental organizations in line with the demands and needs of researches.
Our department conducts symposiums and trainings periodically in cooperation with the Occupational Diseases and Occupational Accidents Research Prevention Foundation (MESKA), a non- governmental organization.
Our department is one of the institutions organizing the Community Mental Health Symposium and workshops that held every two years.
Our faculty members and specialist students are working as researchers at Istanbul University Community Medicine Practice and Research Center and in collaboration with Silivri District Health Directorate, and the studies of District Health Directorate and Family Health Centers are introduced to our students.
In addition, our department has working protocols with Bahçelievler, Başakşehir, Beylikdüzü, Fatih and Sarıyer District Health Directorates and field trainings of the students are also conducted in these districts.
Further, our faculty members and specialty students contribute effectively to the prevention and control activities of the Istanbul Medical Faculty Hospital Infection Control Committee, the Environmental Management Unit of Istanbul University, and the catering services management process of the Istanbul Medical Faculty Hospital.
Our department also provides academic support to the University's researchers in research planning and biostatistical analyses.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
The Department of Public Health gives a participant certificate for the trainings organized on Occupational Health and Occupational Diseases in cooperation with Occupational Diseases and Occupational Accidents Research Prevention Foundation (MESKA). Also, our faculty members regularly teach in the "Infection Control Nursing Certificate Program"organized at the national level by the Ministry of Health. Our instructors participate in the “Trainer Training“ certificate program for the faculty members which is carried out under the coordination of the Department of Medical education of Istanbul Medical Faculty. Our faculty members also participate in the Family Counseling Certificate Program of the Continuing Education Application and Research Center as an instructor.
PROJECTS
National projects
It has been involved in many projects as executive, consultant, trainer and researcher with Istanbul University Research Fund, Ministry of Health, TUBITAK, Arçelik R & D, Human Resource Development
Foundation, IZ Community in Society and Individual Mental Health, Turkish Hospital Infections and Control Association, and Pediatric Health Association.
International projects
We contributed to numerous projects as consultant, instructor and researcher with technical and financial support of international institutions such as WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, NATO, CEDPA and the European Union.
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES
The number of publications published by SCI-SCIE and refereed international journals is 16 for 2018¬2019 academic year.
SPECIAL AREAS
Environmental Health, health geography, geographic information systems, demography, occupational health, adolescent health, school health, elderly health, women's health, sexual health/reproductive health, community nutrition, and vulnerable groups such as human trafficking victims and sex workers are special areas of research and service.
EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
Before graduation
Our department offers "Introduction to Public Health" classes for 21 hours in first grade and fourth grade students are given Public Health lessons in seven groups for 51 hours, homework studies and field trips are made with the students. The sixth grade students receive a five-week practical training including family health center and community health center rotations following one week of theoretical training with participatory training methods.
Also elective courses for first year students on "Social Determinants of Health", "Being a Good Physician", "Health in School, Health in Society" are carried out with the contributions of the faculty members of our department.
Faculty members of our department are involved in the skills laboratory studies of the first year medical students of our faculty. Also, our faculty members take part in simulated patient practice and skill laboratory practices on prevention of hospital infections in the course of introduction to qualified medicine for second year medical students.
There are two theoretical hours of Public Health Department in the 2nd and 3rd Grade of our Faculty. Since the 2016-2017 academic year, our department has been continuing the same curriculum in the English Department of Medicine.
After graduation
Our department offers specialist training in medicine within the scope of post-graduate education programs. Further, master's and doctorate in Public Health and master's in Occupational Health and Safety are offered under the Institute of Health Sciences of İstanbul University.
The duration of Public Health Specialization training is 4 years. While our assistants receive intensive theoretical and practical training in the first year, they participate simultaneously in research and other academic activities led by faculty members. Then, they complete their clinical rotations for a period of 6 months in the departments of obstetrics and gynecology, child health and diseases, infectious diseases and clinical microbiology, internal medicine, psychiatry and chest diseases in accordance with the Medical Specialization Regulation. They complete their field rotations for 3 months in the Provincial Public Health Directorate, 2.5 months in the District Health Directorate and 15 days in the Public Health Laboratory. After completing their one-year rotations, the specialist student who completes two years education takes the thesis topic and contributes to the polyclinic services in the department while completing his / her thesis.
The duration of Occupational diseases sub-specialization training is 3 years. Public health, thoracic and internal medicine specialists may apply for this training. During this training program, assistants make rotations in the occupational diseases hospital and clinical rotations, workplace trips, as well as education and training activities, and contribute to the services of the Occupational Diseases Polyclinic.
Environmental Health Specialization training duration is 2 years. 3 months of this period is performed as rotation in the Provincial Public Health Laboratory. In the remaining period, researches and theoretical education are carried on environmental health.
Phd and master programs students are accepted to graduate education from health sciences and other disciplines related to health. One year of education is planned for master degree and remaining time for thesis. The graduates of the Faculty of Medicine and those with Master of Public Health are accepted to the doctoral education and they complete their doctoral education in four years, usually two years of course period and two years of thesis period.
In Public Health Master's and Doctorate Program, students will be able to learn basic public health, biostatistics, infectious diseases, epidemiology, health management, environmental health, occupational health, health economics, population science, community nutrition, reproductive health, health education and health promotion. There are also courses that can be selected according to their own interests, which include social science subjects and specific fields of public health.
The graduate curriculum in the topics of Occupational Health and Safety are that Introduction to Occupational Health and Safety, Occupational Health Legislation, Occupational Health Epidemiology, Risk Assessment and Risk Management, Ergonomics, Occupational Hygiene, Basic Public Health, Introduction to Environmental Health, Scientific Research Techniques and Publication Ethics, Behavior Oriented Occupational Safety, Toxicology, Occupational Health Risk Groups, Occupational Health Education and Communication, Assessment and Control of Environmental Risks, Economy and Occupational Health, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
In addition, the subjects such as patient-physician communication and prevention of nosocomial infections are carried out with the contributions of our faculty members in the adaptation trainings that have been started for the new assistants in our faculty.
CONTACT
+90 212 414 20 00 - 32173
E-mail : itfhalks@istanbul.edu.tr
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL GENETICS
Academic Staff:
Prof.Dr. Seher BAŞARAN (Department Head)
Prof.Dr. Zehra Oya UYGUNER
Assoc. Dr. Birsen KARAMAN
Assoc.Dr. Ayşe Evrim BAYRAK
Faculty Member, Dr.Bilge ŞADAN SELÇUK
Medical Genetic Specialist Dr. Umut ALTUNOĞLU
Research Assistant Dr. İrem KALAY
Research Assistant Dr. Leyli ŞENTÜRK
Research Assistant Dr. Hamdi KALE
Research Assistant Dr. Gözde Tutku TURGUT
Research Assistant Özge HACER
Post Doctorate Staff:
Dr. Çağrı GÜLEÇ, PhD
Dr. Güven TOKSOY, PhD
Technical Staff:
MSc. Bio. Volkan KARAMAN
Bio. Nuray KIRMIZI
Bio. Havva ÖZTÜRK
Bio. Ebru ERBAŞ
Lab. Assistant Alev YALIN
Lab. Tech. Zuhal Kaplan
Administratry Staff:
Clerk Fatma DAĞ
Clerk Yasemin ŞENGÜL
Clerk Cemal KOÇ
HISTORY
The Medical Genetic Departments in Medical Faculties in Turkey was first approved by the Council of Higher Education of Turkey in 2004. Department of Medical Genetics of Istanbul Medical Faculty of Istanbul University founded in the same year by Prof. Dr. Memnune Yüksel Apak. In the structure of previous faculty establishments, scientific and applied studies in the field of Medical Genetics were being conducted by Pediatric Genetics, Division of Medical Genetics of Child Health Institute and Division of Medical Genetics of Internal Medicine.
Division of Medical Genetics, first established as subsidiary to Department of Basic Pediatric Sciences of Child Health Institute in 1985, began serving in the fields of Clinical Genetics and Cytogenetics. In 1988, prenatal diagnostic testing initiated under Prenatal Diagnosis Research and Application Center in partnership with Obstetrics and Gynecology Departments of Istanbul and Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculties. In 1997, the Molecular Genetics Laboratory is established and research and applications are also initiated in this field.
MISSION
Our mission is to maintain to be the most reliable centers of our country in clinical and laboratory applications in the field of Medical Genetics, to provide the students with the most up-to-date information in their undergraduate and graduate education, to contribute to the improvement of quality in service and education in this field on a country base, to contribute to the promotion and scientific developments of our institution through national and international joint scientific studies, to provide training opportunities for our young researchers abroad.
VISION
Our vision is to apply the most current technologies in the field of Medical Genetics via implementing new research, optimizing new techniques and tests to be used in diagnosis and thus enabling patients to have the most up-to-date diagnostic opportunities.
SERVICES
Department of Medical Genetics provides services in three main fields of genetics;
Nature of our establishment in the field of Clinical Genetics, results referral of patients from many external centers to the Department's outpatient clinic for rare genetic disorders as well as common genetic diseases. Patients are referred for specific tests after clinical evaluation towards to reach a definitive diagnosis. Final diagnosis in genetic diseases directs genetic counseling to be given to families and provides them carrier screening test for under risk individuals and provides information about options for prenatal diagnosis or preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Whenever available, definitive diagnosis further may lead families to receive genetic treatments with multidisciplinary approach.
Considering Medical Genetic rotation is mandatory within the scope of many specialty training programs, students sent from our institution or external institutions complete their Medical Genetic rotation in our department.
Under cytogenetics and molecular cytogenetics discipline, cell cultures from different tissues (peripheral blood, skin, gonad, and bone marrow in hematologic malignity), prometaphase/metaphase analysis are performed at high resolution using various banding techniques. Successful application of Molecular Cytogenetics (FISH and a-CGH/microarray) methods leads to the sending of complex chromosome abnormalities detected in many external centers to our laboratory for final determination. For more than 30 years, our work on three different tissue samples (amniotic fluid, chorion villi and fetal blood) is successfully handled in our laboratory for the purpose of prenatal diagnosis.
In our Molecular Genetics laboratory, in addition to common genetic disorders, post and prenatal diagnosis of rare genetic diseases are being performed. Many different research projects are being carried out to identify new genes and novel pathogenic variants associated with some rare genetic syndromes.
EDUCATION
The 4th semester students of Istanbul Medical Faculty are given theoretical education in Human Genetics in four groups (4 x 18 hours/year). In addition, each student is provided with one hour of Clinical Practice Training. Students at 5th semester are given two weeks of theoretical/practical training in clinical and laboratory Medical Genetics within the scope of elective internship. The Medical Genetics specialty program is four years. During this educational program, various internal (clinical, cytogenetic, molecular genetics) and external rotations (Pediatrics, Perinatology and Internal Medicine) are completed within a scheduled time table. Furthermore theoretical and practical training is provided to graduate and PhD students enrolled in the Genetics program of Istanbul University Health Science Institute of Istanbul Universit’s Aziz Sancar Institute of Experimental Medicine
Accreditation: Department of Medical Genetic’s cytogenetics and molecular cytogenetics laboratory is included in the “National Quality Assessment and Control Program”.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Medical Genetics Outpatient Clinic
Phone: +90 212 534 84 40
Internal Line +90 212 414 20 00 – 32564
Fax +90 212 534 84 40
E-mail itftibbigenetik@istanbul.edu.tr
Medical Genetics Laboratory
Phone: -
Internal Line +90 212 414 20 00 – 32327, 32347, 35067, 35034
Fax +90 212 534 84 40
E-mail itftibbigenetik@istanbul.edu.tr
