Dr. Perihan Elif Ekmekci: A Comprehensive Overview of an Eminent Scholar in Bioethics, Medicine, and AI Ethics

Dr. Perihan Elif Ekmekci is a distinguished leader in the fields of bioethics, medicine, and artificial intelligence (AI) ethics. Her extensive career reflects a deep commitment to addressing the ethical dimensions of healthcare and emerging technologies. With significant contributions spanning medical ethics, public health, psychiatry, and AI, Dr. Ekmekci's interdisciplinary expertise and influential roles underscore her pivotal impact on these disciplines.

Academic and Professional Training

Dr. Ekmekci's academic journey began at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, where she earned her Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree between 1989 and 1995. Her foundational medical training was complemented by coursework at Anadolu University Faculty of Business Administration (2005-2009), integrating management principles with healthcare insights.

In 2006, she expanded her perspective on healthcare management through a fellowship at Imperial College London’s Tanaka Business School, in collaboration with the Turkish Ministry of Health. This was followed by a fellowship at the National Public Health Institute of Netherlands in 2007, focusing on EU public health challenges.

Dr. Ekmekci's expertise in bioethics was further established with a Ph.D. from Ankara University’s Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine (2009-2014). Her doctoral research laid the groundwork for her focus on ethical issues in medical practice. She enhanced her skills with the Fogarty International Fellowship Master’s Certification in Research Ethics at Boston Children’s Hospital (2013-2014) and continued her bioethics training with the Western Institutional Review Board Fellows Program in 2016. Additionally, she completed the WIRB International IRB Western Institutional Review Board Research Ethics Training Program in Seattle, Washington in 2016.

Professional Experience

Dr. Ekmekci's professional trajectory combines advisory roles, academic positions, and leadership responsibilities. She served as an advisor to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health from 2004 to 2007 and was the Head of the European Union Relations Department within the Ministry of Health from 2007 to 2016, where she developed several projects in alliance with the EU. She also represented Turkey on the Advisory Board of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) from 2011 to 2016.

In academia, Dr. Ekmekci began as an Assistant Professor at TOBB University Medical Faculty’s Department of History of Medicine and Ethics (2015-2016). She was promoted to Head of the Department in 2017, overseeing curriculum development and research initiatives. Currently, she serves as the Deputy Dean of TOBB ETU School of Medicine and chairs the Institutional Review Board. Her roles include chairing the International Unit in Bioethics/WMA Cooperation Center and being a member of the Open Science Committee...