İhsan Doğramacı (3 April 1915 – 25 February 2010) was a Turkish

paediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their yout ...

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

educationalist Education sciences, also known as education studies or education theory, and traditionally called ''pedagogy'', seek to describe, understand, and prescribe education including education policy. Subfields include comparative education, educationa ...

and college administrator of

Iraqi Turkmen The Iraqi Turkmen (, عراق تورکمنلری; Arabic: تركمان العراق), also referred to as Iraqi Turks, (, عراق توركلری; ) are the third largest ethnic group in Iraq. They make up to 10%–13% of the Iraqi population. I ...

descent born in modern

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

then

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Doğramacı was a pediatric physician and an international leader of development. He was the founder of

Bilkent University Bilkent University () is a private non-profit research university located in Ankara, Turkey. It was founded by İhsan Doğramacı, the first president of the Council of Higher Education and the head of the prominent Doğramacı family, with th ...

, a leading private university and

Hacettepe University Hacettepe University () is a public research university in Ankara, Turkey. It was established on 8 July 1967. It is ranked first among the Turkish universities by University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2021. The university has two main c ...

, one of the overall highly ranked universities in Turkey which specializes in

medical science Medicine is the science and practice of caring for patients, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pra ...

s in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, chairman of the board of trustees of

Middle East Technical University Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish language, Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a prestigious public university, public Institute of technology, technical university located in Ankara, ...

in 1965, chairman of the

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

executive board, founding president of the Council of Higher Education of Turkey, executive director and president of the International Pediatric Association (IPA), co-ratifier of

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

's constitution. He was the first president and the chairman of the

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of WHO since 1985. He was offered national political leadership positions such as

ministry of foreign affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

and premiership by

Cemal Gürsel Cemal Gürsel (9 June 1894 – 14 September 1966) was a Turkish military officer and politician who was the fourth president of Turkey, serving from 1960 to 1966 after taking power in a coup d'état. Early life Gürsel was born in the town ...

and

Süleyman Demirel Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously serv ...

, both of which he declined. Doğramacı spoke Turkish, English, French,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. He authored over 100 scientific articles, three books, and six book chapters, and served as the editor of four medical journals.

Career in international organisations

He was a Fellow of the

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, often referred to as the RCPCH, is the professional body for paediatricians (doctors specialising in child health) in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the postgraduate training of pa ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and has been an Honorary Scientific Advisor to the ''International Centre for Childhood Studies'' in England since 1982. Doğramacı was a member of the Board of Trustees of Heart International in 1981. He was the president of IPA,

, FIGO and

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, increasing access to birth control, and leadin ...

Task Force (1997–1998). He was a member of the Board (1970–1984) of the International Children's Centre in Paris, and he had been a member of the Board of Regents of the International Association for Humanitarian Medicine since 2000. İhsan Doğramacı co-founded the ''Assembly of the Parliament of Cultures'' with

Prince Hassan of Jordan Prince Hassan bin Talal (, born 20 March 1947) is a member of the Jordanian royal family who was previously Crown Prince from 1965 to 1999, being removed just three weeks before King Hussein's death. He is now 20th in line to succeed his nephew ...

and joined members from many nations in

in 2004. The purpose of the Foundation is to promote and strengthen international and intercultural understanding among different cultures in the world and to enhance dialogue between their thinkers and intellectuals by means of peaceful dialogue.

International Pediatric Association (IPA)

He was the honorary president of the International Pediatric Association (IPA) since 1992. He was the president of IPA between 1968 and 1977, and its executive director between 1977 and 1993.

World Health Organization (WHO)

He signed the

Constitution in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, July 1946. He was the vice president in 1976 and a member of the executive board between 1976 and 1982. He had been a member of many child health-related programs and groups in WHO. Since 1980, the World Health Organization has awarded the İhsan Doğramacı Family Health Foundation Prize biennially to pediatricians and child health specialists in recognition of their distinguished contributions to family health.

UNICEF

He had been a member of the

Executive Board (1959–1985), and he was elected as chairman of the board for two terms. He had been the president of the Turkish National Committee for UNICEF (1958–2003). He was a major financial charitable contributor to the UNICEF co-sponsored Turkish educational community campaig
"Let's Go to School, Girls"

Career in Turkey

İhsan Doğramacı matured in the secular Turkey of

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

. This was a political environment that Doğramacı endeavored to help develop, with his focus being medicine and child health. He also saw higher education as a parallel concern. He set out on the path to reform these fields, a path filled with obstacles of bureaucratic, legal and self-interested opposition by several circles. Sir Horace Phillips described him in his book: "This is a likable man, emphatic in manner, but gentle with it; sometimes intolerant of those who do not share his ideals. But he has not been spoiled by his achievements."

Administratorship

Doğramacı was the founding president of the Council of Higher Education of Turkey (YÖK) from 1981 until 1992. He chaired the board of trustees in

in 1965 and held the rector position in

Ankara University Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...

in 1963 and several other universities in Turkey.

Hacettepe University

After a rapid rise in academia, Doğramacı became a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...

in 1955. In the same year, Doğramacı founded ''The Child Health Department'' affiliated with

Ankara University Medical School Ankara University Medical School is a medical school affiliated with Ankara University and located in the Sıhhiye of Ankara, Turkey, was established in 1945 as the second medical school in the country. The opening of this institution was prompted ...

. In 1958 the ''Child Health Institute and Hospital'' started to serve the community as well as its researches and education. In 1961 School of

Health Sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple a ...

was founded as the first instance of school healthcare science in Turkey. Subsequent to the establishment of some other departments such as dentistry, home economics the institute became another higher education center affiliated with Ankara University Medical School, and thus in 1967, the Hacettepe University was founded officially. After the establishment of some other departments under Hacettepe University, a need for a larger educational building complex aroused. İhsan Doğramacı endowed a considerable amount to foundations named Hacettepe Education Foundation and Hacettepe Health Foundation. Thanks to these donations the new campus for Hacettepe University was built rapidly. Presently, Hacettepe University is one of the best state universities in Turkey in medicine-related areas.

Bilkent University

After the legislation allowing the establishment of private universities in Turkey upon Doğramacı's request and effort, he began his searches to found a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

campus university A campus university is a British term for a university situated on one site, with student accommodation, teaching and research facilities, and leisure activities all together. It is derived from the Latin term campus, meaning "a flat expanse of la ...

. Afterward, in 1984 between

and

campuses, the first private university of Turkey,

was founded. Doğramacı founded some industrial companies such as Tepe construction to build educational buildings and to provide financial support for the university as well. All the companies incorporated under Bilkent Holding are now one of the major corporate groups of Turkey. All companies were endowed to the Bilkent University. Doğramacı's all heirs relinquished their rights to the companies. By this act, he donated nearly his whole fortune to the university. Bilkent University is one of the top universities in Turkey and, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, is ranked 112th globally. Affiliated with Bilkent University, Doğramacı had some other educational projects.The first of his university-level education centers of excellence, Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory High School, was inaugurated in 2007 in

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

. This was followed by three other centers in East and Southeast Turkey. Professor İhsan Doğramacı also provided charitable financial private scholarship support to university students in medical sciences and music for over 40 years. The Turkish

Foreign Policy Institute The Foreign Policy Institute ( or ''DPE'') is a Turkish think tank on foreign policy and international relations. It was founded in 1974. The Foreign Policy Institute is the first ever think tank formed in Turkey. The founder and the first pre ...

of Bilkent University administers an award program of İhsan Doğramacı Prize of International Relations for Peace. Doğramacı, with his wife, Ayser Doğramacı, endowed their family wealth to the support of educational and medical projects. In more recent times the Founder had turned his attention to the place of his birth,

. The vision of the İhsan Doğramacı Erbil Foundation was to build a needed and unique school in a region that has had a troubled history. After the completion of construction, the first students of ''İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent Erbil College'' began classes in 2010.

Personal life

His father Doğramacızade Ali Pasha was the Mayor of

and later a Senator in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

; his grandfather Mehmet Ali Kırdar was a Member of the Ottoman Parliament for

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

. Doğramacı was married to Ayser Süleyman in 1942. He had three children. His son, professor Ali Doğramacı, was the rector of Bilkent University until 1 March 2010. Currently his grandson-in-law, Prof. Dr.

Abdullah Atalar Abdullah Atalar (born 11 April 1954) is a Turkish scientist and academic. Atalar was the Rector (education), rector of Bilkent University, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, and a professor at Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineer ...

, is the rector.

Death

İhsan Doğramacı died at

Hospital on 25 February 2010 from

multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring immediate medical intervention. There are different stages of organ dysfunction for certain different organs, both in acute and in chronic ...

. He had been receiving treatment in the intensive care unit there since November 2009.

Awards, prizes, and decorations

Orders and decorations

* ''1976'' – :

Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella The Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella (''Orden al Mérito de Duarte, Sánchez y Mella'') is the principal order of the Dominican Republic. It was established on 24 February 1931 as the ''Juan Pablo Duarte Order of Merit'' (''Orden al M ...

* ''1977'' – : National Order of the Legion of Honour * ''1979'' – :

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

* ''1989'' – :

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland () is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. As such, it is sometimes referred to as ...

* ''1989'' – : Médaille de la Ville de Paris * ''1990'' – : Grand Cross Order of Christopher Columbus * ''1995'' – :

State Medal of Distinguished Service State Medal of Distinguished Service () is one of the three civil state decorations of Turkey. The medal was established on October 24, 1983 with the Law on Medals and Orders, Act No. 2933. It is rewarded to Turkish citizens, foreigners and organiz ...

* ''1997'' – :

Medal for Merit The Medal for Merit was the highest civilian decoration of the United States in the gift of the president. Created during World War II, it was awarded by the president of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptiona ...

* ''1997'' – : Golden Medal Health For All * ''2000'' – : First Class of Istiglal Order * ''2000'' – :

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (, also the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of the Estonian state. (The Latin name ''Terra Mariana'' ...

* ''2005'' – : Heydar Aliyev Order * ''2005'' – : Golden Medal of Sevda-Cenap Music Foundation Honor Award * ''2009'' – : Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Commendation Medal * ''2009'' – : Medal of Egyptian People's Assembly

Awards

* ''1978'' – :

TÜBİTAK The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (, TÜBİTAK) is a national agency of Turkey whose stated goal is to develop "science, technology and innovation" (STI) policies, support and conduct research and development, and to ...

Service Award * ''1981'' – :

Léon Bernard Foundation Prize World Health Organization (WHO) public health prizes and awards are given to recognise major achievements in public health. The candidates are nominated and recommended by each prize and award selection panel. The WHO Executive Board selects the w ...

* ''1986'' – : Christopherson Award (

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States. It is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. The AAP has published hundreds of poli ...

) * ''1995'' – : Maurice Pate Award * ''1995'' – : Soranus of Science and Friendship Award * ''1998'' – : “ Peace, Justice and Tolerance" Prize * ''1999'' – : Health and Education Award * ''2000'' – : Distinguished Service Award ( Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey) * ''2004'' – : Dr. Ju Shichiro Naito International Child Health Award * ''2007'' – : Honor Award of the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...

* ''2009'' – : Award of Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences

References

External links

In Memoriam: İhsan Doğramacı

* ttp://www.milliyet.com.tr/2007/04/03/yazar/akyol.html An Outline of Doğramacı's Educational and Charitable International Activities(in Turkish)
Assembly of the Parliament of Cultures

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dogramaci, Ihsan 1915 births 2010 deaths Deaths from multiple organ failure People from Erbil Turkish people of Iraqi Turkmen descent Academic staff of Hacettepe University Turkish medical researchers Turkish non-fiction writers Chairmen and Presidents of UNICEF Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 3rd Class Rectors of universities and colleges in Turkey Recipients of the Heydar Aliyev Order Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Istiglal Order Recipients of TÜBİTAK Service Award Rectors of Ankara University Bilkent University people Turkish officials of the United Nations Iraqi Turkmen people Léon Bernard Foundation Prize laureates Academic staff of Middle East Technical University Istanbul University alumni