Akif Turna

Dr. Turna, a graduate of Istanbul University’s Istanbul Medical School, has specialized in thoracic surgery at Yedikule Teaching Hospital for Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery. In 2007, he initiated the VATS lobectomy program and subsequently earned national and European Thoracic Surgery Board Certificates.

Dr. Turna obtained his Ph.D. in Immunology in 2003. In 2013, he assumed the position of Professor of Thoracic Surgery at Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa. Currently, he serves as the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Cerrahpasa School of Medicine. His research interests encompass minimally invasive thoracic surgery, with a particular focus on uniportal Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) and Robotic-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (RATS) resections. He also conducts mediastinal staging procedures, VAMLA (Video-Assisted Mediastinal Lymph Node Dissection), inflammatory and infectious disease research, surgery for emphysema, anti-tumor immunology, and the molecular biology of cancer. Moreover, he has a strong interest in the use of artificial intelligence in medicine.

He is the author of over 250 articles and book chapters. Dr. Turna currently holds editorial positions as an associate editor of Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Annals and Euroasian Journal of Pulmonology. He also serves as the managing editor of Turkish Journal of Immunology. Additionally, he is a member of the 10th Edition of the Lung Cancer Staging Committee (IASLC), where he chairs the T Subcommittee.