President's Message

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT ON THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF OUR REPUBLIC OF TURKIYE

In the Anniversary of our Republic of Türkiye, we published a book on Thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies together with one hundred scientists from twenty-two countries as well as Turkey, in order to discuss the hundred-year-old situation of thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies in our country and in the world, the genetics of the disease, clinic, diagnosis, treatment and prevention programs. Writing and editing the book has been a great honor at the peak of my career.

While I was an intern student at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 1977, my esteemed teacher, Prof. Dr. Ayten Arcasoy who directed my career towards thalassemia. We continued our thalassemia unit studies, which we carried out as a thalassemia scientist in the Department of Child Health and Diseases of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 1980, on the path shown by my teacher Ayten Arcasoy, and by establishing a thalassemia unit in the Department of Child Health and Diseases of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine in Antalya in 1981, as a founder.

We carried out studies on thalassemia and hemoglobinopathy during the military service in Izmir Foça between 1984-1986 and at the Child Health and Diseases Clinic of Kahramanmaraş-Elbistan State Hospital between 1986-1990.

Between 1990 and 1994, while I was doing my subspecialty in Hematology, Department of Child Health and Diseases, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, my teacher mother, Prof. Dr. Ayten Arcasoy helped me study under my teacher Mualla Alkan for six months at the Molecular Genetics Unit of the University of Basel, Switzerland, to learn the genetics of the disease. While we were serving Thalassemia patients from all over the country, we also carried out civil society work in the Ankara Thalassemia Association, which she founded.

After completing my minor specialization in 1994 and receiving my associate professorship, my teacher suggested that I establish a Thalassemia Center at the Antalya State Hospital of the Ministry of Health in order to provide the best service at the source of this work and to continue my non-governmental work.

When I started working at Antalya State Hospital Thalassemia Center in 1994, the head physician of the hospital was the Op. Dr. Hasan Doyduk, I shared the idea of establishing a foundation.

Before establishing the Mediterranean Blood Diseases Foundation in 1996, we established our foundation by working on its infrastructure for two years with my valuable colleagues, businessmen and patient relatives.

Our goal at the Foundation was to provide world-class service on thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies and to carry out studies first in Antalya, then in the Mediterranean region, then throughout Turkey and then around the world. We have carried out many projects in every field on this subject.

In the anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, we decided with the management to write a textbook on thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies in both Turkish and English, in order to introduce the work and scientific aspect of our foundation to the whole world.

I hope this book will be useful to all scientists, physicians and students working in the field of thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies.

I would like to thank the members of the foundation board of directors and all our trustees, my companions of twenty-seven years, for their support and strength.

As a servant in civil society and a student on the path of science, we continue our journey to provide new services and scientific projects.

Kind regards

December 31, 2023

Prof. Dr. Duran Canatan

Pediatric Blood and Genetic Diseases Specialist

President of the Mediterranean Blood Disease Foundation