Füsun Sayek (August 11, 1947 – October 15, 2006) was a Turkish female

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

and chairperson of the

Turkish Medical Association The Turkish Medical Association ( tr, Türk Tabipleri Birliği, abbreviated as TTB) is the professional association and registered trade union for physician, doctors in Turkey. Its membership of 110,000 as of the year 2020, covers 80% of Turkey's ...

. Füsun Sayek was born in

Bor, Niğde Bor is a town and district of Niğde Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, to the southeast of the city of Niğde (very frequent busses run between the two), on a high plain (altitude ). The district's population is 59,919 of which 3 ...

on August 11, 1947, where her father was serving. She completed her primary education in Bor and the middle school in

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır (; ; ; ) is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, ...

. In 1964, she finished high school in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

. She studied medicine at

Hacettepe University Hacettepe University is a leading state university in Ankara, Turkey. It was established on 8 July 1967. It is ranked first among the Turkish universities by URAP in 2021. The university has two main campuses. The first campus is in the old to ...

, and graduated in 1970. The career education, which she began at her alma mater in 1971, she continued in the State of New York, in the United States until 1976. In 1981 she became a specialist in

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

. She obtained a certificate for community eye healthcare in England in 1986. Sayek served as a board member in Ankara Medical Association between 1984 and 1986, as a member of the Central Committee of the Turkish Medical Association ( tr, Türk Tabipler birliği) (TTB) from 1990 to 1994. In 1996, she was elected chairperson of the TBB's central committee. She served at this post until her death in 2006. Sayek was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

, however, she neglected treating the disease, which resulted in its advancement. She died in Ankara on October 15, 2006. She was survived by her spouse İskender Sayek (born 1944), an academic of general surgery, and daughter

Selin Sayek Böke Selin Sayek Böke (born 24 August 1972) is a Turkish politician, member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), who has served as a Member of Parliament for İzmir's second electoral district since 7 June 2015. She was first elected at the June ...

(born 1972), an economist and politician from the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party ( tr, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, , acronymized as CHP ) is a Kemalist and social-democratic political party in Turkey which currently stands as the main opposition party. It is also the oldest political party ...

(CHP). She was buried at her spouse's hometown in

İskenderun İskenderun ( ar, الإسكندرونة, el, Αλεξανδρέττα "Little Alexandria"), historically known as Alexandretta and Scanderoon, is a city in Hatay Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Names The city was founded as Ale ...

. In her honor, Ankara Medical Association holds annually "Dr. Füsun Sayek Medical Education Meeting" ( tr, Dr. Füsun Sayek Tıp Eğitimi Buluşması) on the

National Doctors' Day National Doctors' Day is a day celebrated to recognize the contributions of physicians to individual lives and communities. The date varies from nation to nation depending on the event of commemoration used to mark the day. In some nations the day ...

. The "Füsun Sayek Healthcare and Education Development Association" ( tr, Füsun Sayek Sağlık ve Eğitim Geliştirme Derneği) organizes diverse events in the "Sayek House" at Arsuz, Hatay every year in summer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayek, Fusun 1947 births People from Bor, Niğde Hacettepe University alumni Turkish ophthalmologists Women ophthalmologists Deaths from cancer in Turkey Deaths from breast cancer 2006 deaths Turkish women physicians Turkish physicians 20th-century Turkish physicians 21st-century Turkish physicians 20th-century women physicians 21st-century women physicians