Assoc. Dr. Muhammed Atak
Dr. Atak began his medical education at Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 2006. During his studies, he served as a faculty student representative and President of the Student Council, while also taking active leadership roles in the youth branches of various non-governmental organizations. After completing his medical training in 2012, he started his career as an Emergency Physician at Bitlis State Hospital. He also worked as a Family Physician at Bitlis Yükseliş Family Health Center and in the village of Sağınlı in the Hizan district of Bitlis.
Upon completing his compulsory service, Dr. Atak returned to Istanbul and worked for a period as an Emergency Physician at Beykoz State Hospital. He later played an instrumental role in establishing the Inspection Unit within the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate. He contributed to the structuring and oversight of private healthcare institutions in Istanbul and served as a Team Leader for inspection activities. He subsequently held positions as Üsküdar District Health Director, Monitoring and Evaluation Branch Director of the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate, Deputy Provincial Health Director of Istanbul, and Eyüpsultan District Health Director.
Throughout his administrative career, he oversaw and audited the operations of numerous healthcare institutions across different regions and implemented various community-based health initiatives. He organized public health screenings, health literacy programs, and mobile health services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he managed contact tracing activities, coordinated mass vaccination efforts, and led immunization programs. He also played key roles in monitoring and evaluation, health information systems, and quality management processes—developing models that enhanced healthcare quality and improved complaint resolution mechanisms.
Actively involved in disaster and emergency management, Dr. Atak volunteered and served as a trainer within the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE). He also worked as a coordinator in humanitarian and health projects in countries such as Syria, Chad, Uganda, and Rwanda.
In addition to his medical training, he completed a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and an associate degree in Emergency and Disaster Management at Anadolu University. In 2021, he earned his PhD in Public Health from the Institute of Health Sciences at Istanbul University.
Dr. Atak has developed and delivered numerous training programs for medical students, healthcare professionals, and subject-matter experts in areas including Primary Healthcare Management, Public Health Services in Disasters, Tackling Health Inequalities for Health Promotion, Global Health, Crisis Management, Addiction Prevention, and Volunteering. Between 2022 and 2024, he participated in the World Health Summit in collaboration with the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the European Commission, and other international health institutions, presenting best practices from Türkiye.
With more than fifty scientific publications, he has led research teams in six major projects and contributed to many others. His academic interests focus on public health, school health, migrant health, disaster management, and health policy.
He is a faculty member at the Department of Public Health, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, and previously served as Deputy Chief Physician at the University Hospital. As of August 2024, he has been appointed Director General of Health Promotion.