Vahit Ozmen

Dr. Özmen is Professor Emeritus of Surgery at the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine at Istanbul University. As Surgical Director of the Breast Health Clinic, Dr. Özmen cared for patients and educated students and residents with breast health issues and diseases from 1986 to 2021. He founded the Turkish Federation of Breast Diseases Society and was president from 2009 to 2011. He took part in establishing the Turkish Cancer Institute in 2016 and served as a member of the Scientific Board between 2016 and 2021. He established the Turkish Breast Cancer Registry Program and presented demographic, clinical, and survival analyses of breast cancer in Turkey with the books and articles he published. With the Bahçeşehir Population-Based Organized Mammographic Screening Project, which he carried out between 2009 and 2019 and was the first in Turkey, and the Turkey Breast Cancer Registry Project, he determined that approximately 50% of breast cancer patients were under 50. He ensured that the age of mammographic screening was lowered from 50 to 40. Dr. Özmen worked internationally in breast cancer control for over 20 years. He participated in studies within the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI), which pioneered the development of “resource-stratified” guidelines in low- and middle-income countries, chaired by Dr. Benjamin O. Anderson. Dr. Özmen contributed scientifically to breast diseases and laparoscopic surgery at Pleven and Sofia Medical Faculties in Bulgaria between 2004 and 2006 with the Erasmus Program. Dr. Özmen was a Central and Eastern European Cancer Action Group (CEECAG) member between 2017 and 2020. This scientific group aimed to achieve the following goals: 1. Improve Cancer intelligence to inform an evidence-based approach to decision-making and policy for affordable, high-quality, and equitable cancer control; 2. Invest in research, education, and training opportunities to develop and retain cancer professionals in the clinical, nursing, and allied communities; 3. Develop and standardize patient pathways and models of care that reflect patients’ needs and requirements; 4—capacity building for patient organizations. Dr. Ozmen has worked to serve world breast health in the Senologic International Society (SIS), which was founded 50 years ago in Strasbourg and has 45 countries from 5 continents as members, for the last 20 years, and was elected as the president of this society in 2023 and is currently serving as president (2024-2026). Dr. Ozmen founded the European Journal of Breast Health in 2005 and continues to serve as Editor-in-Chief. The journal is indexed in PubMed Central, Web of Science-Emerging Sources Citation Index, Scopus, Embase, EBSCO, CINAHL, CNKI, and DOAJ, and publishes accepted articles free of charge. Our journal reaches more than 50,000 readers worldwide every month. In recognition of his global work, Dr. Ozmen was awarded the Honorary Diploma and Medal of the Bulgarian Surgical Association in 2006 and the Best Surgical Scientist award of the Doktorsclub in 2017. On October 4, 2024, at a European Parliament, Strasbourg ceremony, he was awarded the Honorary Medal of the French Academy of Surgery for his contributions to international science. He became an Honorary Member of the French Academy of Surgery. Dr. Ozmen has published over 500 articles and abstracts, presented at national and international conferences, books he has edited books, and written book chapters.