Prof. Dr. Züleyha Akkan Çetinkaya

Prof. Dr. Züleyha Akkan Çetinkaya is a gastroenterologist at Acibadem Atasehir Hospital in İstanbul, where she works in the Gastroenterology unit. She has more than 28 years in medicine, and her clinical work covers digestive system disorders, inflammatory bowel disease and endoscopic procedures such as gastroscopy, colonoscopy and PEG placement. She speaks Turkish and English.

Dr. Çetinkaya graduated from İstanbul University Faculty of Medicine in 1998. She trained as a resident physician at the Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital 1st Internal Medicine Clinic from 1998 to 2003, completing her Internal Medicine training in 2003, and then continued as a subspecialty resident at the Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital Gastroenterology Clinic from 2003 to 2009, completing her Gastroenterology training in 2009. She worked as a gastroenterology specialist at Kocaeli Derince Training and Research Hospital from 2009 to 2013 and received her Associate Professorship there in 2013. From 2014 to 2019 she was an Associate Professor of Gastroenterology at Medical Park Gebze Hospital ,Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Medicine. She received her Professorship from Gelişim University in 2019 and was a Professor of Gastroenterology at Memorial Ataşehir Hospital from 2019 to 2025 before joining Acıbadem Healthcare Services in 2025. She is a member of the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Association, the Turkish Gastroenterology Association, the Turkish Liver Research Association and the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Association. Her published work includes studies on Helicobacter pylori eradication regimens, chronic hepatitis B and C, and inflammatory bowel disease, in journals such as the Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology, Gut and Liver and Hepatogastroenterology.

Clinical focus

Dr. Çetinkaya assesses and manages a range of digestive system disorders, including reflux, gastritis, dyspepsia and abdominal pain. A large part of her practice concerns inflammatory and immune-mediated bowel conditions, namely Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and celiac disease, as well as diverticulitis. Evaluation of these conditions may involve a review of symptoms, laboratory and imaging results and, where indicated, endoscopic examination.

Her procedural work includes gastroscopy and colonoscopy, which are used to examine the upper and lower digestive tract, and PEG placement for patients who require a feeding tube through the abdominal wall. Whether an endoscopic procedure is appropriate depends on the individual clinical picture and is decided after a consultation.

How Dr. Çetinkaya works with international patients

Dr. Çetinkaya 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, for example MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, 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 options. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their situation before travelling or to follow up after a visit.