Prof Dr Barış Akin

Current Position

Barış Akın Transplant Office, Polat Tower, Şişli – Istanbul
Founder and Director

Roles in International Societies

• European Kidney Transplant Association (EKITA), ESOT — Past Chair
• European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) — Delegate for Turkey

Previous Leadership Positions

• Director, Kidney & Pancreas Transplantation Center, Florence Nightingale Hospital (2005–2009)
• Director, Kidney Transplantation Center, JFK Hospital (2009–2011)
• Director, Kidney Transplantation Center, Medicana Çamlıca Hospital (2011–2013)
• Director, Kidney & Pancreas Transplantation Program, Istanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital (2013–2025)

Medical Certifications

• Associate Professor of General Surgery (2007)
• Advanced training in liver, pancreas, and laparoscopic transplantation — The Ohio State University, USA (2004)
• Accredited Transplant Surgeon (kidney, pancreas, liver) — American Society of Transplant Surgeons (2004)
• Transplant Surgeon — The Ohio State University Transplant Program (2003)
• General Surgeon — Ankara University Medical School (2000)
• ECFMG Certification (1999)
• USMLE I & II (1996)
• Medical Doctor — Ankara University Medical School (1995)

Medical Awards

• Young Investigator Award, American Society of Transplantation (2004)
  “Five-year follow-up after steroid withdrawal demonstrates no evidence of worsening renal function.”

Editorial Roles

• Secretary of Editorial Board, Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Research (1997–1999)
• Associate Editor, European Surgical Research (2021– )
• Associate Editor, Transplant International (2026-)

Professional Society Memberships

• Society of Turkish Nuclear Medicine
• Turkish Surgical Society
• The Zollinger Surgical Society
• American Society of Transplantation
• European Society of Transplantation

Education

• Advanced laparoscopic, pancreas, and liver transplantation training — Ohio State University (2003–2004)
• Transplant Surgery Fellowship — Ohio State University (2001–2003)
• General Surgery Residency — Ankara University (1995–2000)
• Surgical ICU Visitor — University of Texas (1999)
• Medical School — Ankara University (1989–1995)
• T.E.D. Ankara College (1978–1989)

Professional Focus

Prof. Akın completed his medical degree and general surgery residency at Ankara University, followed by a transplant surgery fellowship at The Ohio State University. His work focused on advanced laparoscopic techniques in kidney transplantation. He is certified by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and received the Young Investigator Award in 2004. He is credentialed to practice transplant surgery in the United States.

He returned to Turkey in 2004 and established one of the country’s first private kidney transplant programs. He developed the retroperitoneoscopic handassisted donor nephrectomy technique, designed to reduce abdominal organ injury and postoperative adhesions.

He has trained numerous transplant surgeons across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, helping establish transplant programs in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Albania, and Senegal. He performed the first kidney transplant surgeries in Senegal with his trainees.

Prof. Akın serves as faculty for the ESOT LIDO course and chairs the International Transplant Network Courses. He is a leading authority in vascular access surgery, integrating it with kidney transplantation.

Research Interests

• Advanced surgical techniques for living donor nephrectomy
• Retroperitoneoscopic and robotic donor nephrectomy
• Immunologic risk management in transplantation
• Paired kidney donation and ABOincompatible transplantation
• Vascular access management in transplant recipients
• Long-term immunosuppression strategies