Prof. Yaşar Çolak, MD

Prof. Yaşar Çolak, MD is a gastroenterologist at Acibadem Atasehir Hospital in İstanbul, where he works in the Gastroenterology unit. His subspecialty is the treatment of pancreas, liver and biliary tract diseases, and his practice also covers obesity, endoscopic procedures such as ERCP and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, and common disorders of the digestive tract, including dysphagia, reflux, gastritis and dyspepsia. He has more than 24 years in medicine.

Dr. Çolak graduated from İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine in 2002 and completed Internal Medicine training there in 2008, followed by Gastroenterology training at İstanbul Göztepe Training and Research Hospital in 2011. His further training includes Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) Training at the Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, European Postgraduate School (2013); the Liver Transplantation Unit of Florence Nightingale Hospital (2014); the Department of Advanced Endoscopic Applications at Cleveland Clinic Florida (United States of America) in 2015–2016 and again in 2019–2020; and ERCP and Endoscopic Ultrasonography in the Division of Gastroenterology at Bezmialem Vakıf Gureba Hospital (2016). He served as Associate Professor (2013–2018) and then Professor (2018–2020) in the Division of Gastroenterology at İstanbul Medeniyet Universitesi Faculty of Medicine and worked at the Presidential Health Coordination Office from 2016 to 2019. He subsequently practised at Medicana Ataşehir Hospital (2020–2022) and in the Gastroenterology Clinic of Memorial Ataşehir and Şişli Hospitals (2022–2025) before taking up his current position.

Clinical focus

Dr. Çolak’s clinical work centers on diseases of the pancreas, liver and biliary tract. He evaluates and treats liver diseases, including fatty liver disease and liver failure, as well as pancreatic and biliary tract diseases. He performs ERCP, an endoscopic procedure used in the assessment and treatment of conditions affecting the bile ducts and pancreas. In the area of obesity, his practice includes endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty for appropriate patients. He also assesses and manages dysphagia, reflux, gastritis and dyspepsia.

He is a member of the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA), the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), the Turkish Association for the Study of the Liver, the Turkish Society of Gastroenterology and The European Association for Gastroenterology, Endoscopy and Nutrition (EAGEN). His published research includes work on the pathogenetic mechanisms of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, risk factors for local recurrence after endoscopic mucosal resection of large gastrointestinal lesions, gallbladder motility in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after transplantation.

How Dr. Çolak works with international patients

Dr. Çolak consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages. The Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, arranges appointments and organises 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 available options. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their case before or instead of travelling.