Dean Abacıoğlu: “The vaccine is the achievement of science”

Students who started their education at Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Faculty of Medicine took the first step on the path to medicine by wearing their white coats and taking the "Medical Student Oath". Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Hakan Abacıoğlu, Dean of IUE Faculty of Medicine, drew attention to the importance of the vaccine in the fight against Covid-19, and he said, “The vaccine is the achievement of science and it is real. I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to all the scientists who contributed to this success story. They gave hope to all of us, may God bless them.”   

IUE Faculty of Medicine 2021-2022 Academic Year White Coat Ceremony was held in the amphitheatre on campus. IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Aşkar, Surgeon Zafer Beken, Chairman of the Board of IUE Medical Park Hospital, Prof. Dr. Hakan Abacıoğlu, Dean of IUE Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Orhan Satılmaz, Chief Physician of IUE Medical Park Hospital, Asst. Chief Physician Assoc. Prof. Dr. Önder Limon, Asst. General Manager Dr. Nilgün Söylemezoğlu, academics, and guests attended the ceremony that was broadcast live from the university's social media accounts.

Parents, who saw their children in white coats for the first time, experienced great excitement at the ceremony attended by 80 students. Berkay Saraçoğlu, who has been placed in IUE Faculty of Medicine with the highest score this year, and Batuhan Çiftçi, Student Representative of the Faculty of Medicine, also delivered speeches at the ceremony, where a special film about the two institutions was presented to the visitors.

WE GOT STRONG, WE WILL BE STRONGER

Addressing the students and parents at the ceremony, the Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Aşkar said, “Universities contribute to the technical, economic, cultural and social development of the society they are in. They act as a lever in the change and development of society. Our university is advancing with this goal and vision. The University, which has become one of the few science centres by rapidly continuing its development, has produced approximately 20 thousand graduates in its 20^th year. We are among the top 6 most preferred foundation universities in Turkey with an occupancy rate of 97.68 percent. Our affiliation with Medical Park Hospital has strengthened us even more. With its strong infrastructure and highly qualified human resources, our hospital is among the leading health institutions of our country. Together we got stronger, we will get even stronger.”

THE REFERENCE IN EDUCATION IS THE HOSPITAL

Stating that they received positive feedback from the students who started their applied and practical training in the hospital, Asst. Chief Physician of IUE Medical Park Hospital, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Önder Limon said, “Students receive master-apprentice training in our hospital with state-of-the-art medical devices, accompanied by experienced physicians who are experts in their fields. They tag along with the physicians in our hospital, where they have the opportunity to access information quickly. As the management, we are closely interested in all your problems, and we are working hard to get you the best education. We have made our hospital, which we hope you see as a school, a comfortable education and training centre for future physicians. We continue our development day by day with the contributions of students on this exciting journey we embarked on with the effort to become a reference hospital in education.”

VACCINE MADE IT POSSIBLE

Dean Prof. Dr. Abacıoğlu stated that as a faculty, they continue their journey to give a good medical education by getting stronger. Prof. Dr. Abacıoğlu said, “Last year we held the ceremony online. This year, we took the precautions and held it face-to-face. The most important factor that makes this possible is the fact that we have been vaccinated. Vaccine is the achievement of science and is real. I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to all the scientists who contributed to this success story. I would also like to thank two Turkish doctors, Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin, for making us proud. They gave hope to all of us, may God bless them.”

JOURNEY OF WISDOM

Giving important messages to the students, Prof. Dr. Abacıoğlu continued as follows: “Scientists are dealing with huge problems like climate crisis, pollution, loss of biodiversity. As the problems and the world change, so does medicine. You will be the leaders of change. You will be the leaders of change. You have to inform the society and be one of their teachers in the changing world. You will be hope like Özlem Türeci, Uğur Şahin and Aziz Sancar and light a candle in the darkness without being pessimistic. You will discover the secrets of the stars and relieve the suffering of people. It is wisdom to try to understand without getting bored, to learn without getting tired, to learn, to know your limits where your knowledge is not enough, to live with uncertainties and to be prudent. May you prosper.”