• From Childhood Dream to World-Class Surgeon

  I was born in Diyarbakır in 1985 to a surgeon father and an English teacher mother. My father, Dr. Ekrem Ersöz, served for many years as the Chief Physician at Diyarbakır State Hospital as a urology specialist. His disciplined, devoted, and patient-centered approach planted the dream of becoming a doctor—and a surgeon—in my mind from an early age.

  After completing primary and secondary school in Diyarbakır, I graduated from the Science High School in Çanakkale, my mother’s hometown. In the national university entrance exam, I scored high enough to be accepted to Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine; however, due to family reasons, I chose to study at Dicle University Faculty of Medicine in my hometown. In my final year of medical school, my father’s lung disease deeply influenced my career choice, strengthening my passion for thoracic surgery.

The Beginning of My Pectus Journey at Dokuz Eylül University

I completed my residency in thoracic surgery at Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir. My greatest fortune during this period was training under the late Prof. Ahmet Önen, one of the first surgeons to perform the Nuss procedure for pectus deformities in both Turkey and Europe.

Between 2008 and 2014, I participated in nearly 500 pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum surgeries, working side-by-side with my mentor through the entire learning curve of this technique.

Just one month after becoming a specialist in 2014, I suffered the sudden loss of my mentor at the age of only 51 due to heart problems. As Izmir had become a center for pectus surgery, patients continued to find me during my compulsory service, allowing me to carry forward this unique experience.

Today, I perform over 100 pectus surgeries annually, with a total career volume exceeding 1,500 pectus cases—one of the largest experiences in the world. Since 2019, I have also been offering non-surgical pectus treatments, making me one of the most experienced physicians in this field both in Turkey and globally. My patients now come from all seven continents for treatment.

The Surgeon for High-Risk Cases

During my compulsory service at Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, I frequently received patients who had been refused surgery elsewhere due to advanced age, severe comorbidities, or high surgical risk. I accepted these cases without hesitation and achieved successful outcomes, which attracted attention.

Soon after, I was invited by İzmir Katip Çelebi University to establish the thoracic surgery department at Atatürk Training and Research Hospital—a unit that had never existed in this historic hospital. I accepted the challenge, starting with a clinic that didn’t even have a pair of scissors, and transformed it into a fully equipped, accredited training center.