Prof. Erkan Kaptanoğlu, M.D., Ph.D. graduated from Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine in 1990. He completed his internship in the United Kingdom. After completing his compulsory medical service, he gained entrance to the Neurosurgery residency program at Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital. He wrote his residency thesis on “Neural protection in spinal cord injuries” at Hacettepe University research laboratories in 1995. After completing his residency in 1997, he became a specialist and was appointed as the Chief Resident. Winning a scholarship from the ministry of health, he studied “spinal cord injury and spinal cord regeneration” under Prof. Charles Tator, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in Canada in 1998-1999. After returning from Canada in 1999, he was tasked by the Ministry of Health to establish a Field Hospital and to work in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent Society at Hakkari, Şemdinli for two months.
He became an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery in 2004. He earned the title Doctor of Science (Ph.D.) by completing a doctorate program on Advanced Neuroscience between 2000-2005, at Hacettepe University Institute of Psychiatry and Medical Sciences. He joined the project for autologous stem cell therapy in human spinal cord injuries with the Departments of Neurosurgery and Hematology at the Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. In 2009, he was appointed as Deputy Chief to the Neurosurgery Clinic at the Ankara Numune Hospital, where he had been working.
At Ankara Numune Hospital, in which he worked until 2010, he encountered many complex cases that required a solution due to the high patient turnover. He supervised and attended complex cranial (brain), spinal (spine-spinal cord), pediatric (children), trauma and vascular neurosurgery operations. He continued his academic research at Ankara University, Department of Anatomy and research laboratories of Ankara University and Hacettepe University for the purpose of developing strategies for complex spinal surgery operations. Dr. Kaptanoğlu conducted joint studies with many of his colleagues and faculty members from clinical and basic sciences during his scientific, laboratory and anatomic research. These experiences contributed greatly to his surgery practice and clinical knowledge.
He conducted his first research project in 1995, during his residency, on the treatment of spinal cord injuries at Hacettepe University. From then on, he always continued his experimental research. He won numerous awards with his research work on spinal cord injuries and spinal surgery anatomy.
His research was published in the form of over 100 national and international articles, and over 50 books and book chapters. He has attended numerous national and international courses and meetings as an instructor and guest speaker.
In 2010, he went to Cyprus to found the Near East University Faculty of Medicine Hospital with the guidance of Hacettepe University, and was appointed as full Professor. Between 2010-2015, he served as the Founder and Head of Department at the Near East University and Founder and Deputy Chief Physician at the University Training and Research Hospital in TRNC.
In 2015, he was appointed to the Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery and was elected as the Head of Department. During the same period, he also served as the Director of the Institute of Neuroscience. Reaching the end of this tenure in 2019, he retired from his duties as the Director of the Institute of Neuroscience and as a Member of the Faculty of Medicine. During his tenure at Marmara University, he supervised and accompanied surgical operations for complex cases from cranial patients to brain tumors (gliomas, meningiomas and hypophysis adenomas in particular), cerebral hemorrhages, Parkinson’s disease, trauma and vascular neurosurgery. He performed complex spinal surgery operations such as surgeries for spinal deformities (e.g. scoliosis and kyphosis), thoracoscopic spinal surgeries and sacral tumor surgeries. In addition to anatomical studies, he conducted research and experimental studies on stem cell therapy and regeneration in spinal cord injuries.
He served in different capacities as a member and a director in various boards and groups of the Turkish Neurosurgical Society, and also for Türk Nöroşirurji Dergisi and Turkish Neurosurgery journal. Between 2019-2020, he worked as a part-time faculty member at Başkent University. In addition to his national and international academic studies, he still practices at his private clinic and performs surgeries.
