Biography

When I was in medical school, the brain and neuroscience always challenged me. After completing my residency in the neurology department I applied for a PhD in neuroscience to the learn the scientific basis and mechanisms of diseases that we see in clinical practice. During my postdoctoral period I focused on the neurobiology of migraine headaches and conducted successful studies at Harvard University—a milestone in my career in the field of headache research. I then returned Turkey where I established my own research lab and worked in a headache clinic. It is very important to do bench-to-bedside translational studies in headache research, which is more relevant to clinical problems. In addition to clinical work and research, I train neurologists, algologists and direct a neuroscience PhD program at my university. I am married to a neurosurgeon and have two children. My daughter developed an interest in space and wants to be a scientist. She is currently doing a master’s degree in astronomy.