4,302 Medipol graduates joined the healthcare workforce

The B4 Garden of the Kavacık South Campus welcomed thousands of graduates preparing to begin careers across diverse fields of healthcare. At the 2026 Graduation Ceremony of the Vocational School of Health Services at Istanbul Medipol University, 4,302 students received their diplomas to the applause of their families and academic staff, taking the first steps of their professional journeys. 

Held in three separate sessions, the ceremony was attended by Prof. Yasemin Yüksel Durmaz, Vice President of Istanbul Medipol University; Prof. İlknur Keskin, Director of the Vocational School of Health Services; Assist. Prof. Hasan Sağcan, Vice Director of the Vocational School of Health Services; along with academic staff, administrative personnel, students, and their families. During the first session, Vice President Prof. Yasemin Yüksel Durmaz addressed the graduates, while the second and third sessions featured a video message from Prof. Bahadır Kürşat Güntürk, President of Istanbul Medipol University.

Graduates from the following programs received their diplomas during the ceremony: Oral and Dental Health, Oral and Dental Health (Evening Program), Operating Room Services, Operating Room Services (Evening Program), Anesthesia (Turkish Program), Anesthesia (English Program), Anesthesia (Evening Program), Dental Prosthetics Technology, Dental Prosthetics Technology (Evening Program), Dialysis, Dialysis (Evening Program), Pharmacy Services, Child Development, Child Development (Evening Program), Electroneurophysiology, Electroneurophysiology (Evening Program), Physiotherapy (Turkish Program), Physiotherapy (English Program), Physiotherapy (Evening Program), First and Emergency Aid (Turkish Program), First and Emergency Aid (English Program), First and Emergency Aid (Evening Program), Occupational Health and Safety, Audiometry, Audiometry (Evening Program), Opticianry, Opticianry (Evening Program), Pathology Laboratory Techniques, Pathology Laboratory Techniques (Evening Program), Radiotherapy, Radiotherapy (Evening Program), Healthcare Institutions Management, Medical Documentation and Secretarial Studies, Medical Documentation and Secretarial Studies (Evening Program), Medical Imaging Techniques, Medical Imaging Techniques (Evening Program), Medical Laboratory Techniques, and Medical Laboratory Techniques (Evening Program). 

STRONG EDUCATION, BROAD OPPORTUNITIES AT MEDIPOL
Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Yasemin Yüksel Durmaz, Vice President of Istanbul Medipol University, stated that the University had maintained steady growth and development since its establishment. She noted that Istanbul Medipol University regards education, research, quality assurance, and social contribution as complementary pillars of a university. 

Recalling that the University had advanced to the 801–1000 band in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, had been designated a Candidate Research University by the Council of Higher Education, and had received five-year Full Institutional Accreditation from the Higher Education Quality Council, Durmaz emphasized that these achievements translate into greater opportunities for students.

"The true significance of these achievements lies in providing our students with higher-quality education, a stronger research environment, and broader opportunities for personal and professional development."

"EVERY DECISION YOU MAKE HAS A HUMAN BEING AT ITS CENTER"
Highlighting that the Vocational School of Health Services educates qualified healthcare professionals who contribute directly to public health, Durmaz reminded graduates of the responsibilities they would carry throughout their professional careers.

"Dear graduates, working in healthcare is not only a great privilege but also a profound responsibility, because every procedure you perform, every decision you make, and every interaction you have has a human being at its center."

Noting that healthcare is undergoing rapid transformation through artificial intelligence, digital health applications, and scientific advances, Durmaz encouraged graduates to remain lifelong learners.

"Embrace technology and benefit from the opportunities it offers. However, never surrender your professional judgment and responsibility to technology, because safeguarding human dignity, acting fairly, and choosing what is right remain fundamentally human responsibilities."

"GRADUATION IS FAR MORE THAN A FAREWELL"
Prof. İlknur Keskin, Director of the Vocational School of Health Services, stated that graduation represents not an ending but the threshold of new beginnings.

"Although graduation is often perceived as a farewell, it is far more than that. It is a unique threshold where one door closes while countless others open, where one journey ends and entirely new ones begin."

Emphasizing that studying healthcare is about much more than earning a diploma, Keskin said: "This journey is about learning conscience alongside knowledge, compassion alongside technical competence, and patience alongside discipline."

She added that healthcare professionals shoulder a responsibility that reaches people at their most vulnerable moments.

"Healthcare is not merely about making diagnoses, taking measurements, performing procedures, or maintaining records. More often than not, healthcare means giving reassurance to someone during the most vulnerable moment of their life."

Touching upon technological advances in healthcare, Keskin stressed that no technological innovation can replace genuine human compassion.

"No technology can replace the confidence one human being gives another. No algorithm can replicate compassion, and no system can fully reproduce empathy."

"CONSCIENCE IS THE MORAL FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE"
Assist. Prof. Hasan Sağcan, Vice Director of the Vocational School of Health Services, focused his remarks on knowledge, conscience, and character.

Encouraging graduates to invest continuously in learning, he said:

"Dear young colleagues, invest in knowledge if you wish to excel in your profession. Never lose your curiosity, because those who remain curious continue to learn. Never lose your conscience, because conscience is the moral foundation of knowledge. Never lose your humanity, because in the end, people will remember not what you knew, but how you made them feel."

Sağcan also reminded graduates that building character is just as important as building careers. "If you wish to leave a lasting mark, strengthen your character, because your career may take you somewhere, but it is your character that will keep you there."

He concluded by expressing confidence in the graduates' future contributions.

"As we send you into your professional lives today, we do so with great hope. The healthcare system of the future will be shaped not only by technology, but also by capable, conscientious, and idealistic young professionals like you."
 

"THEY WILL TOUCH A SMILE, THEY WILL TOUCH A LIFE"
Speaking on behalf of the first group of graduates from the Vocational School of Health Services, Pınar Alada, a graduate of the Dental Prosthetics Technology Program, said that the day marked not only a graduation but also the realization of years of hard work, perseverance, and dreams.

Highlighting the profound impact of dental prosthetics technology on people's lives, Alada stated:

"Dental prosthetics technology taught us that a prosthesis is not merely a technical product; it is a meaningful contribution that touches people's smiles, self-confidence, and quality of life."

Speaking on behalf of the second group of graduates, Nisan Başak Akdemir, a graduate of the First and Emergency Aid English Program, said that although the graduates had begun their educational journeys with different aspirations, they had become one family by sharing the same excitement, concerns, and challenges.

Akdemir said:

"Throughout this journey, there were times when we became exhausted, faced difficulties, endured sleepless nights, and made sacrifices. Yet despite everything, we learned to keep moving forward."

WORDS WERE READ NOT WITH EYES BUT THROUGH DETERMINATION
Representing the third group of graduates, Firdevs Melike Alkan, a graduate of the Medical Documentation and Secretarial Studies Program, delivered her graduation speech using Braille.

Emphasizing the importance of medical documentation and secretarial services within the healthcare sector, Alkan said:

"We learned to become the unsung heroes of the healthcare sector—the backbone of hospitals and medical units. Here, we came to understand the importance of knowledge, accurate archiving, communication, and above all, the professionalism that must guide every aspect of caring for human life."

Although graduation may appear to be an ending, Alkan described it as the beginning of a new chapter.

"I firmly believe that, with the strong education we have received, we will perform our duties wherever we serve with the highest standards of professionalism, honesty, and quality, and we will continue to make our families proud."
 

PROGRAM VALEDICTORIANS RECEIVED THEIR AWARDS
During the ceremony, students who graduated at the top of their respective programs were presented with commemorative plaques.

Among those honored were Reyhan Pınar, valedictorian of the Oral and Dental Health Program; Zeynep Çakaloğlu, valedictorian of the Oral and Dental Health Evening Program; Ceren Karakaş, valedictorian of the Operating Room Services Program; Beyzanur Kara, valedictorian of the Operating Room Services Evening Program; Malika Hojamkulyyeva, valedictorian of the Anesthesia Turkish Program; Zohal Ahmad, valedictorian of the Anesthesia English Program; Funda Çolak, valedictorian of the Anesthesia Evening Program; Alireza Azarhossein Hajloo, valedictorian of the Dental Prosthetics Technology Program; Hatice Yüksel, valedictorian of the Dental Prosthetics Technology Evening Program; Belinay Köse, valedictorian of the Dialysis Program; Hilal Şevval Gürbudak, valedictorian of the Dialysis Evening Program; and Melike Zehra Ayar, valedictorian of the Pharmacy Services Program.
 

Also recognized were Rümeysa Küllü, valedictorian of the Child Development Program; Şeyma Türk, valedictorian of the Child Development Evening Program; Zeynep Aldemir, valedictorian of the Electroneurophysiology Program; Fadime Kaplan, valedictorian of the Physiotherapy Turkish Program; Maya Mousli, valedictorian of the Physiotherapy English Program; Ecem Kübra Yıldızoğlu, valedictorian of the Physiotherapy Evening Program; Muhammed Seyhan, valedictorian of the First and Emergency Aid Program; Mohammed Abolghasemi Poor, valedictorian of the First and Emergency Aid English Program; Burçin Sakallı, valedictorian of the Occupational Health and Safety Program; Cansel Karakaya, valedictorian of the Audiometry Program; Zeynep Gök, valedictorian of the Audiometry Evening Program; Bensu Kuştemir, valedictorian of the Opticianry Program; Merve Yalçın, valedictorian of the Opticianry Evening Program; İsmail Abushemeis, valedictorian of the Pathology Laboratory Techniques Program; Beyza Kalay, valedictorian of the Pathology Laboratory Techniques Evening Program; Elif Nas Kabakcı, valedictorian of the Radiotherapy Program; Ecem Taşkınsel, valedictorian of the Radiotherapy Evening Program; Hafsa Anbarpınar, valedictorian of the Healthcare Institutions Management Program; Melek Arzu Eynahanoğlu, valedictorian of the Medical Documentation and Secretarial Studies Program; Esma Nur Akdeniz, valedictorian of the Medical Documentation and Secretarial Studies Evening Program; Edanur Ay, valedictorian of the Medical Imaging Techniques Program; Talha Keş and Pınar Okuducu, co-valedictorians of the Medical Imaging Techniques Evening Program; Zehra Gültekin, valedictorian of the Medical Laboratory Techniques Program; and İshak Mehmet Polat, valedictorian of the Medical Laboratory Techniques Evening Program.
 

The plaques were presented by Prof. Yasemin Yüksel Durmaz, Vice President of Istanbul Medipol University; Prof. İlknur Keskin, Director of the Vocational School of Health Services and Assist. Prof. Hasan Sağcan, Vice Director of the Vocational School of Health Services.  
 

A CEREMONY MARKED BY BOTH REMEMBRANCE AND CELEBRATION
The ceremony also paid tribute to Sercan Kaçar, a student of the Audiometry Program, and Onur Yener, a student of the Physiotherapy English Program, both of whom had passed away. Their classmates honored their memory by displaying their photographs during the ceremony. As moments of celebration intertwined with heartfelt remembrance, Turkish flags waved proudly from the shoulders and hands of the graduating students. At the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates commemorated the occasion by taking photographs together before celebrating their achievement with the traditional cap-tossing ceremony.