2018 Sedat Simavi Health Sciences Award to M.D. Özgür Öktem
December 17, 2018
Turkish Journalists’ Association Sedat Simavi Awards were granted. The awards are annually given in the fields of art, journalism, literature, sport, and science. We are happy to announce that 2018 Health Sciences Award is granted to Assoc. Prof. Özgür Öktem from KUSOM. 2018 Turkish Journalists’ Association Sedat Simavi award-winning artists, journalists, caricaturists, man of letters, athletes, and scientists received their prizes during the ceremony that took place on 11 December. In the opening speech of the ceremony, the President of the Turkish Journalists’ Association Turgay Olcayto said, “Why these awards are not only given in journalism, but in a wide range of fields of life sciences, social sciences, literature, visual arts, and sport? This approach reflects the perspective of Sedat Simavi on humanity and contemporary world. Today, there is no another journalism award placing such a big importance to science. We, as a professional organization of journalists, will do our best to continue this prestigious award in spite of today’s dire conditions. These important awards are given to overall 17 individuals from 9 fields, and Assoc. Prof. Özgür Öktem received the Health Sciences Award with his study titled “Endogenous c‐Jun‐N‐ terminal kinase (JNK) Activity Marks the Boundary between Normal and Malignant Granulosa Cells.” This study made a broad impact in the scientific world for determining an abnormal cellular pathway in the granulosa cell tumor of the ovary, which is a rare cancer giving unsatisfactory response to chemotherapy, and for inhibition of JNK pathway in GCT cell lines with two different pharmacologic inhibitors. Öktem’s research results are also published in Cell Death and Disease, a journal published under the Nature group. Assoc. Prof. Özgür Öktem received his award from the Head of the Award Jury Prof. Dr. Özdemir Aktan. We would like to congratulate our distinguished colleague for this well-deserved achievement and award, and like to thank for his contribution to science and medical education.
