Assoc. Prof. M.D. Selma Aktaş

Our 82-year-old grandmother, who has been caring for her orphaned 7-year-old grandson since his parents passed away, brought him to Dr. Selma Aktaş with concerns about his persistent night terrors and developmental regression. Dr. Aktaş didn't just treat the child—she created a holistic family care plan that addressed intergenerational trauma. She spent two hours during our initial consultation, connecting us with a child psychologist who specializes in grief, while simultaneously arranging nutritional support for my grandmother who was neglecting her own health. Her approach wasn't pediatric—it was familial healing. At Acibadem Maslak, she transformed a medical visit into a lifeline for our broken family system.

When my 4-year-old daughter swallowed a rare-earth magnet from a STEM toy, the emergency team initially downplayed the risk. Dr. Aktaş, who was consulting on another case, overheard the details and immediately intervened—she recognized the specific danger of multiple magnet ingestion. She personally coordinated with the radiology department for urgent imaging, identified a second magnet in the intestinal tract, and performed a delicate endoscopic retrieval that avoided invasive surgery. What stunned me was her forensic investigation afterward: she contacted the toy manufacturer with detailed medical findings that led to a product recall. Her emergency response saved my child and potentially countless others.

As expatriates from Norway, we were skeptical about Turkish healthcare until Dr. Aktaş managed our newborn's complex biliary atresia. She didn't just perform the Kasai procedure—she created a 'medical passport' documenting every step in three languages, established a video consultation link with Oslo University Hospital, and designed a hybrid follow-up schedule that accommodated our international insurance. Her innovation was a microbiome monitoring protocol using stool samples we could mail from abroad. After 18 months, when we needed transplant evaluation, she had already pre-cleared our case with transplant centers in three countries. She practices borderless medicine.

For three years, my seemingly healthy 10-year-old son had mysterious cyclical vomiting episodes dismissed as 'school anxiety' by other specialists. Dr. Aktaş noticed an atypical pattern in his electrolyte fluctuations during an unrelated checkup. She ordered a whole-exome genetic sequencing on a hunch, discovering a rare mitochondrial disorder called MEPAN syndrome—only 12 documented cases worldwide. Her diagnosis wasn't the end; she collaborated with researchers in Boston to develop a personalized metabolic therapy regimen using timed ketogenic diet cycles. She now manages his care through quarterly 'data reviews' where we upload continuous glucose monitor readings. She turned our nightmare into a pioneering case study.