21 January, 2019: 

Professor Tevfik Yoldemir is the Director of the Assisted Conception Unit and the Menopause Clinic at Marmara University, Istanbul. He is currently one of the Associate Editors of Climacteric.

I’ve been reading…

“21 Lessons for the 21st Century” by Yuval Noah Harari. The main theme is “Change is the only constant”. The book is like the SWOT analysis of existence of mankind on the market, in this scenario, the Earth. How biotech and infotech will shape the future jobs and communities, as well as the changes in policies of nations that enable them to stand up on the world stage are some of the points of view which are brought to the reader’s attention.

I’ve been researching...

three topics currently; each one is a survey I am conducting on infertile couples. The first one is on the impact of the service brand expansion on the corporate image and the consumer's attitude towards expansion- a hospital services model. The second study is aimed to investigate the expected and perceived service quality in patients receiving IVF treatment. The third project in progress is looking at the customer satisfaction and loyalty among patients in a university IVF program.

My team members…

at Marmara Assisted Conception Unit know their job roles, follow the guidelines I have decided. We run our clinic with a format similar to the one I had witnessed at the RPAH-SIVF Fertility Unit of Sydney University during my fellowship. I am grateful for the supportive, enthusiastic, and collaborative work of each member of my team. They make my day better and more productive.

An anecdote…

is from time spent with C.Y. Liu who was my mentor in gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. One time I was worried whether the presentation I was preparing would be good enough for the audience. He told me “Whatever you do in your life, you do it for yourself and only for your appreciation. Do not wait for others’ approval or gratitude.” I try my best to honor this.

An interesting case…

in the sense that we achieved our treatment goal would be that of a young girl who had Ewing sarcoma of the pubic bone. In the time between her surgery and chemotherapy, and the planned radiotherapy, a window of opportunity for oocyte freezing was made possible. After two unsuccessful attempts, we managed to freeze 6 oocytes with the double stimulation protocol.

I’m worried…

about the way people get less respectful and loving, even though it is much easier to own anything online than before. Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Paypal, and many more technological breakthroughs unfortunately have distanced persons from each other. Face to face communication has left its place to online chats. This materialization of human behaviour does not spare human soul, arts, emotions.

I’ve been thinking…

how the working conditions for the health-care providers will change as infotechonology will dominate our daily lives. My recent study showed that there is a difference between generations X and Y regarding the organizational committment and perceived internal service quality in healthcare practices. Hence hospital administations need to diversify their internal marketing strategies for each generation on duty. We better keep in mind that the Z generation has started to enter the system.

In my spare time…

I go cycling (24k) or walking (9k) on the seawalk by the Marmara Sea. I love watching science-fiction tv series. I listen to Blues albums. I am trying to learn to play the harmonica.

A thorn in my side…

is how easily any person working in an academic institution is awarded with an academic title. There need to be certain rules evaluating the quality of an individual’s accomplishments and contributions in one mission area (research, education, or clinical). That individual’s regional, national, or international reputation in his field needs to be documented in an objective manner.

What challenges me…

is that we prioritize what’s on our schedule, but we forget to schedule our priorities. One must differentiate himself form others. In order to accomplish this, one needs to challenge himself. One must improve himself before empowering his team.