Turkish-origin surgeon to be on Forbes’ cover

ISTANBUL

Dilek Gürsoy, the first female cardiac surgeon in Europe to have implanted a total artificial heart (TAH), will be on the cover of worldwide known Forbes magazine, which will be published on Nov. 3 in Germany.

“I have been conducting studies in the field of total artificial heart for 12 years. I am honored to be on the cover of the German issue of the world-famous magazine as Forbes,” Gürsoy stated.

Gürsoy noted that in the magazine, she provided information regarding the heart hospital that she will establish with her team in Germany, while the latest study on the total artificial heart in Europe was among the topics.

“Heart failure is an essential problem. Organ donations are scarce. Therefore, total artificial heart research should be given importance and more budget should be allocated,” Gürsoy noted.

“I have a lot of experience with both humans and animals. A total artificial heart plays an important role, especially for women,” she added.

The surgeon, who lost her father at a young age, pointed out that she admires her mother who raised her children alone by working for more than 40 years, adding that she cares a lot about her family.

“I love spending time with my family; I spend a lot of time with my mother. When I listen to how my mother lived, I think that our conditions are very good today, you need to appreciate it,” she explained.

As the daughter of a worker family from the Black Sea province of Ordu who immigrated to Germany, Gürsoy was born in Germany’s Neuss province and graduated from the university in 2003.

Gürsoy, who is the first and only female doctor in Europe in artificial heart surgery, took part in important heart surgeries in India and Türkiye apart from Germany.

In 2019, Gürsoy won the Victress Award and the German Medical Award, one of the most prestigious awards in Germany, and was also named the “doctor of the year.”

Being among the well-known doctors in Europe with her successful surgeries, Gürsoy continues her studies as the chief physician of the Clinic Bel Etage in Germany’s Düsseldorf province.