Banu Atalar, MD | Turkey

Banu Atalar, MD
President of the Turkish Society of Radiation Oncology
Acibadem University, Istanbul

Dr. Banu Atalar is a Professor at Acibadem University and currently serves as the President of the Turkish Society of Radiation Oncology. Her clinic at the Acibadem Hospital is located in the upscale Maslak neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey’s epicenter of business and skyscrapers, nicknamed Mashattan for its resemblance to a certain famous U.S. metropolis.

Dr. Atalar’s drive to work down from the hilly suburbs takes about a half hour on a busy coastal road along the Bosporus Strait separating Europe and Asia. On a typical day, treatments start around 8:00 a.m. and finish by 6:00 p.m. About 70-75 patients are treated daily on three linacs (TrueBeam, Ethos and MRIdian), and there are plans to replace an older CyberKnife with an Elekta Unity. Three radiation oncologists are supported by two nurses, 10 radiation therapists, five physicists and two residents. SBRT and SRS are provided along with adaptive treatments using motion management and surface guidance. Patients needing concurrent chemotherapy receive infusions in an adjacent building that houses outpatient and inpatient medical oncology units as well as a dedicated Pediatric Oncology Unit.

Turkey has a universal health care system primarily financed and administered by the state. The majority of the population is covered under this national system, which provides access to a wide range of health services, including public hospitals and contracted private institutions. About 10-15% of the population holds some form of private insurance that allows access to certain private hospitals that are not fully covered by the national system. Whereas Istanbul is a large city spanning two continents, patients’ travel time to the Acibadem Hospital can range from 30 minutes to two hours. Additionally, about 20% of patients come from neighboring countries and are provided housing options and transportation to the hospital for treatment. The hospital itself is uniquely located — nestled in lush greenery, offering a peaceful healing environment, yet easily accessible by metro, connecting effortlessly to the heart of the city.

Dr. Atalar is grateful that for the past 16 years, she has worked at one of Turkey’s top private university hospitals, with advanced technologies enabling the delivery of world-class care. Furthermore, she appreciates her opportunity to collaborate clinically with some of the most respected academic physicians in Turkey. She also finds it especially rewarding to mentor and train the medical students, residents and graduate students rotating through the clinic, noting that “their curiosity, energy and fresh perspectives inspire me every day.”

There are some challenges in her work life, though. The long clinic hours drain time and energy from her own research aspirations. And there is a broader issue that impacts many radiation oncologists across Turkey, namely the mandatory service requirement. After completing their specialty training, every radiation oncologist is obligated to complete a two-year compulsory service before they can officially begin practicing in their preferred institution. While this policy is designed to distribute health care services more evenly across the country, it often disrupts the personal and professional lives of young physicians — forcing them to relocate, delay career plans and face a host of new challenges just as they are stepping into their careers.

According to Dr. Atalar, like many people in high stress jobs, she used to think that relaxing meant reading a good book or doing some Pilates or yoga. But after a while, she realized that those activities paradoxically made her feel even more tense rather than help her unwind. She didn’t need meditative stillness, she needed joy. She needed fun. That’s when a friend mentioned a jazz workshop. Maybe it was liberating that she had no prior musical training whatsoever, just in her words “a deep craving to feel alive again.” So she showed up to the workshop and said, “Hi, I’m an oncologist. I’m on the edge of burnout. I think music might save me. Will you let me join you?”

Not only was she allowed to join, but she caught on quickly, and she has performed semi-professionally at a number of events. After her start in jazz, her musical journey ventured into pop-rock territory (“more dancing, less precision!”), she has even collaborated with Deniz Arcak, a famous Turkish pop artist from the ’90s, in writing and recording a couple of songs, easily found with a quick YouTube search.¹

Dr. Atalar remains modest about her talents, and yet she emphasizes the importance of music to her wellbeing. “Despite all my efforts, I’m still not what you’d call a “good” singer. But I’ve improved! At least now, when I sing at home, my family doesn’t run out of the house screaming anymore! To be honest, music is the only thing that truly helps me disconnect. Singing and dancing with people who have no idea I’m a doctor, who just see me as someone on stage having fun — that’s real therapy.”