Dr. Turgay Öngel (M.D.)
“Medicine is not merely about treating illnesses; it is about touching human lives, cultivating a preventive vision, and transforming health into a living art.”
Since the very first day of my graduation from medical school, I have always perceived medicine as a flawless blend of science and art. My professional journey, which began with my graduation from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine (Çapa), has shaped me into a versatile medical professional over a career spanning more than 25 years.
Throughout my career, I have looked far beyond the confines of routine clinical examinations. I have practiced medicine across a vast and visionary spectrum: from multinational military bases (Incirlik USAF 39th Medical Group) to Turkey’s most prestigious private hospital networks (Acibadem Healthcare Group, Anatolia Hospital); from managing occupational health in large-scale industrial plants (Meltem Kimya) to borderless humanitarian aid missions (Doctors Without Borders – MSF).
For me, medicine is about blending the “preventive healthcare” awareness—which earned me national recognition in the field of Check-up and Wellness—with the profound humanitarian responsibility I felt while saving lives under the challenging conditions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Today, I continue to channel this rich accumulation of experience into my independent clinical practice, occupational health leadership, and my mission to educate society through digital and conventional media.
Believing strongly in the managerial and digital dimensions of healthcare, I complemented my medical degree with a degree in Healthcare Management, while embracing technology, web design, music (piano), and calligraphy as indispensable parts of my life. Because I believe that a truly excellent physician draws strength from disciplines that nurture the soul.
Professional Experience
Family Physician / Solo Practice | Adana, Türkiye | 2018 – Present
Provide comprehensive independent primary clinical treatments, chronic condition management, and customized wellness consultations to an extensive registry of private patients.
Champion community-wide preventive care; write medical columns for regional/national publications and deliver regular expert public health advice on national TV networks.
Occupational Physician | Adana, Türkiye | 2009 – Present
Lead the corporate Occupational Health and Safety department, managing urgent interventions and extensive primary clinical evaluations.
Coordinate pre-employment physical assessments, periodic fitness-for-duty evaluations, and structured return-to-work testing protocols.
Perform recurring rigorous hazardous material exposures, ergonomic workplace audits, and regulatory hygiene risk assessments.
Check-up Physician, Occupational Physician & Clinic Founder | Acıbadem Adana Hospital — Adana, Türkiye | 2012 – 2018
Founded, physically structured, and managed the specialized Check-up / Health and Wellness Clinic within the hospital layout.
Designed highly specialized health risk screening methodologies and executive check-up matrices.
Simultaneously served as Occupational Physician to manage institutional occupational health campaigns, workspace safety audits, and emergency staff interventions.
Actively participated as an internal medical auditor during the formal Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation process in 2016.
Honored as the “Best Check-up Physician” across the entire nationwide Acıbadem Healthcare Group (13 hospitals) for two consecutive years (2015, 2016).
Primary Care Physician — Family Practice Clinic | 39th Medical Group, U.S. Air Force Base — Incirlik, Adana, Türkiye | 2007 – 2012
Delivered high-tier, evidence-based comprehensive primary care to international military service personnel and their dependents.
Diagnosed, managed, and treated acute and chronic pediatric/adult diseases, interpreted complex laboratory/radiological assays, and implemented treatment pathways under strict NATO/USAF military clinical guidelines.
Vice Head Physician, Medical Director for Informatics & Family Physician | Anatolia Hospital — Antalya, Türkiye | 2002 – 2007
Spearheaded executive operational planning, logistical structuring, and the regulatory launch phases of the largest private hospital facility in Antalya (2005).
Appointed as Vice Head Physician and Medical Director for Informatics; oversaw multi-departmental medical staff compliance, night-shift hospital supervision (MOD), and hospital information system (HIS) software rollouts.
Maintained direct clinical practice, providing outpatient consultations within the Family Medicine Clinic and executive health panel screenings within the Check-up Center.
Led the hospital framework to secure the formal ISO 9001:2000 Quality Certification survey.
Vice Head Physician & Family Medicine Specialist | Bahçe State Hospital — Osmaniye, Türkiye | 2000 – 2002
Managed public hospital clinical strategies, public health guidelines, and clinical resource optimization as the Vice Head Physician while holding full outpatient clinical family practice responsibilities.
Vocational Education & Training
Family Medicine Residency | 1996 – 2000
1996–1998 (Turkish Ministry of Health Adana Training and Research Hospital): Inpatient and outpatient clinical management across Internal Medicine and General Surgery departments. Supervisors: Prof. Sunay Sandıkçı, M.D. & Ömer Uluçay, M.D.
1998–2000 (Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital): Advanced clinical residency rotations in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Adult Psychiatry, Child Psychiatry, and active consulting inside the Family Medicine Department Medical Center. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Cüneyt Evrüke, M.D., Prof. Dr. Nurdan Evliyaoğlu, M.D., Prof. Dr. Bekir Aydın Levent, M.D., Prof. Dr. Ayşe Avcı, M.D., and Prof. Dr. Nafiz Bozdemir, M.D.
Medical Doctor (M.D.) | 1987 – 1993
İstanbul University, İstanbul Faculty of Medicine (Çapa Tıp Fakültesi) — İstanbul, Türkiye
Completed a rigorous 12-month rotating internship across diverse urban and rural public care infrastructures (1995–1996).
Associate Degree in Health Institutions Administration | 2018 – 2020
Anadolu University Open Education Faculty — Eskişehir, Türkiye
Postgraduate Certifications & Continuing Medical Education (CME)
Current Clinical Issues in Primary Care (Harvard Medical School & Pri-Med, Washington D.C., 2016)
Clinical Issues in Primary Care (Harvard Medical School & Pri-Med, Rosemont, IL, 2010)
Primary Care Now Virtual CME Conference (Boston, MA, 2020).
U.S. Air Force (39th MDG Incirlik AFB):
Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Certifications & Refreshers (2007- 2012)
Healthcare Information Privacy (HIPAA Training)
Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation (MEIR)
Hazardous Materials Awareness
Operational Security (OPSEC)
Healthcare Law.
JCI Accreditation Standards Training (Antalya, 2005) |
Training Trainers Course in Family Medicine (Çukurova Univ. & Israel Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine, 1998) |
Occupational Medicine License Certification (Turkish Medical Association, 1999)
Life Support Course in Delivery (1998).
Organizing Committee Member & Expert Lecturer (“Professional Office Management”), 4th National Family Medicine Days & 2nd European Systemic Family Medicine Conference (Antalya, 2007).
Certified Medical-Legal Consultant, Issued by Turkish Medical Association (TTB), (2025)
Humanitarian & Volunteer Medical Fieldwork
Sub-Saharan Africa Deployment (Volunteer Humanitarian Medical Officer) | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Democratic Republic of Congo (2007, 2008): Deployed twice voluntarily to manage emergency triages, rural infection outbreaks, and humanitarian aid.
Zanzibar – Tanzania (2009) & Uganda (2010): Delivered clinical support, preventive epidemiological field screenings, and primary health infrastructure coaching.
Marmara (Gölcük) Earthquake Epicenter, Türkiye (Volunteer Disaster Relief Physician) | 1999
Mobilized to provide urgent field treatments, trauma stabilization, and critical infectious disease prevention under the French NGO / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) network.
Professional Affiliations: American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) | World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA – Passive) | Turkish Society of Family Physicians (TAHUD) | Turkish Medical Association (TTB).
Special Awards:
Best Check-up Physician Award, Acıbadem Healthcare Group (Nationwide: 2015, 2016)
First Prize Laureate, Wyeth National Scientific Research Contest (1999) — Awarded for specialized clinical research focusing on regional breastfeeding methodologies.
Languages: Turkish (Native), English (Fluent / Full Clinical Working & Professional Proficiency), German (Conversational).
Skills & Interests: Digital Publishing, Piano, Calligraphy, Tennis, Bicycling, Sailing.
