Prof. Can Gönen, MD

Prof. Can Gönen, MD is a gastroenterologist at Acibadem Kozyatagi Hospital in İstanbul, where he works in the Gastroenterology unit. He has more than 27 years in medicine, and his practice centers on inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, small bowel diseases, and diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. He has worked within Acıbadem Healthcare Services since 2018.

Dr. Gönen graduated from Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine in 1999. From 1999 to 2004 he was an Internal Medicine Research Assistant at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, completing his internal medicine training in 2004, and in 2007 he completed his gastroenterology training at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. He then worked as a gastroenterology specialist at Kütahya State Hospital Gastroenterology Clinic (2007–2008) and Erzurum Mareşal Çakmak Military Hospital Gastroenterology Clinic (2008–2009). At Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital he served as Deputy Chief of the Gastroenterology Clinic (2010–2011), was appointed Associate Professor in 2011, and acted as Administrative and Education Coordinator of the clinic from 2011 to 2018. His endoscopy experience abroad includes periods at Kopenhag University Gentofte Hospital Endoscopy Unit in Denmark (2010), Saint Luc Hospital Gastroenterology – Endoscopy Unit in Belgium (2016), and Johns Hopkins University Gastroenterology – Endoscopy Unit in the USA (2018). He is a member of ECCO (European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation), ESGE (European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy), the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Association, the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Association, the Turkish Gastroenterology Association, and the Turkish Liver Research Association. His published work includes articles on Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease activity markers, colorectal polyps, and viral hepatitis in journals such as J Crohns Colitis and Dig Dis Sci.

Clinical focus

A central part of Dr. Gönen’s work is the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He also evaluates and manages celiac disease, other small bowel diseases, reflux, and gastritis. Assessment in these conditions typically combines the patient’s history and symptoms with laboratory, imaging, and endoscopic findings, and treatment plans are discussed on an individual basis.

Dr. Gönen performs diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, including gastroscopy, esophagoscopy, colonoscopy, and ERCP. These procedures are used to examine the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, and bile ducts, to take tissue samples where needed, and, in selected cases, to treat findings during the same procedure. Whether a procedure is appropriate depends on the individual patient’s symptoms, previous test results, and overall clinical picture.

How Dr. Gönen works with international patients

Dr. Gönen consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages. Before a visit, the international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, arranges appointments, and organizes the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination, and a discussion of the options, including whether endoscopic evaluation is indicated. Video consultations are available for international patients who wish to discuss their case before or instead of traveling.