M.D. Şebnem Kuter

A 14-year-old competitive figure skater from a wealthy family presented with unexplained fatigue and declining performance. Dr. Kuter discovered she was secretly restricting calories to maintain a competition weight, leading to early signs of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). Instead of just medical intervention, Dr. Kuter coordinated with the athlete's coach, nutritionist, and psychologist in a team approach, creating a sustainable nutrition plan that preserved athletic goals while restoring health.

A 3-year-old refugee boy from Syria, recently arrived in Istanbul with his single mother, presented with severe developmental delays and failure to thrive. Dr. Kuter diagnosed severe iron deficiency anemia and global developmental delay exacerbated by trauma. She arranged for donated formula, connected the family with a refugee support organization, and provided play therapy referrals in their native language, showing marked improvement over six months.

An 8-year-old girl from a rural Anatolian village was brought by her grandmother after traditional healers failed to treat her recurrent abdominal pain. Dr. Kuter diagnosed Henoch-Schönlein purpura through careful physical exam revealing the characteristic rash on the lower extremities, which the family had attributed to 'evil eye.' She educated the grandmother about the condition using cultural metaphors while providing evidence-based treatment.

A 16-year-old aspiring musician from an upper-middle-class family presented with sudden hearing loss in one ear. Dr. Kuter identified it as sudden sensorineural hearing loss—a pediatric emergency. She immediately initiated steroid therapy and arranged for urgent audiology consultation, saving most of his hearing and allowing him to continue his musical studies with accommodations.