College of Public Health and Health Professions

Turkish Exchange

Dr. Elena Andresen (Epidemiology) visited Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey, in June 2005 with the goal of exploring potential collaborations between Yeditepe and the College of Public Health and Health Professions. During this visit she met with Dr. Dogan Izbirak (Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine) and Dr. Güldal Izbirak (Chief of Family Medicine), which resulted in an invitation for several PHHP faculty to travel to Istanbul in December 2005 to provide a “Teaching Teachers Course” for faculty in Yeditepe’s medical program, as well as faculty from several other Istanbul institutions.

From December 12-15, Dr. Brenda Wiens (Clinical and Health Psychology) taught a mini-course on Doctor-Patient Communication Skills in the morning, and Dr. Andresen taught a mini-course on Epidemiology Methods in the afternoon. On December 16, Drs. Andresen and Wiens conducted a seminar on publishing in peer-reviewed journals and provided feedback to faculty who brought in potential journal submissions. The program for the week can be viewed here (page 1, page 2). The mini-courses were well-received, and faculty were excited by the possibility of future exchanges between Yeditepe and UF. While at Yeditepe, Drs. Andresen and Wiens also had the opportunity to meet with the third-year medical students and talk with them about the courses we were teaching and opportunities for study in the United States.

Yeditepe University (Yeditepe means “seven hills”) is an English-language platform university located on the Asian side of Istanbul, a vibrant city that is rich with history. Yeditepe offers a range of programs, including a 6-year undergraduate medical program (the equivalent of a MD degree in the United States). You can learn more about Yeditepe by visiting their website at http://www.yeditepe.edu.tr/7tepe/english/.