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A pioneering female neurosurgeon: Dr. Aysima Altınok

  • History of Neurosurgery
  • Published:
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Summary

This article will look at how one female neurosurgeon in Turkey made her mark in the field. In 1954, Dr. Aysima Altınok began her residency training in neurosurgery at Haydarpaşa Numune Hospital where the first official department of neurosurgery in Turkey had been founded five years earlier. On November 22, 1959, she successfully completed her training and was certified officially as a neurosurgeon. Hence, Dr. Altınok was a leader in neurosurgery. Dr. Altınok was the chief of the department of neurosurgery from 1968 to 1992 at Bakirköy Mental and Psychological Health Hospital in Istanbul. She was among the founders of the Turkish Neurosurgical Society in 1968 and was awarded the honour of “Medical Doctor of the Year in Turkey” by the Ministry of Health in 1990. On May 15, 1996, she was accepted as an honorary member of Turkish Society of Neurosurgery for her contributions to neurosurgery. For proving the capability of a woman as a neurosurgeon, her contribution to the world history of neurosurgery should be respected.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Göztepe Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    N. Balak & I. Elmaci

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  1. N. Balak
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  2. I. Elmaci
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Balak, N., Elmaci, I. A pioneering female neurosurgeon: Dr. Aysima Altınok. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 149, 943–948 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-007-1252-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-007-1252-8

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