Ilhan Elmaci

Prof. Dr. Ilhan Elmacı was born in Niğde, a city located in the heart of Anatolia. He completed his high school education in Adana and graduated from Ankara University Medical School. His career began in 1987 at the Bakırköy Neurological Sciences Hospital, under the mentorship of Dr. Zeki Oral, where he completed his Neurosurgery residency by 1993. During this time, he also undertook groundbreaking micro neurosurgery training at Zurich University under the guidance of Professor M. Gazi Yaşargil.

From 1993 to 2003, Prof. Elmacı served as a teaching assistant and later assistant professor at Professor Necmettin Pamir’s Clinic, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine. He also enhanced his expertise in neurooncology and vascular neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, working with Professors Donlin M. Long and Daniele Rigamonti. In 2003, he was appointed Associate Professor of Neurosurgery.

Between 2004 and 2010, Prof. Elmacı served as Chief of Clinic at Göztepe Training and Research Hospital, where he led the clinic to become the first in Turkey accredited by the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS). During this period, he completed his endoscopic skull base surgery training at the University of Pittsburgh.

In 2010, Prof. Elmacı joined Acıbadem University Faculty of Medicine as a Professor of Neurosurgery and went on to establish the Neurosurgery Department at Medipol University Faculty of Medicine in 2012. He headed the Neurosurgery Department at Memorial Health Group Istanbul Hospitals from 2014 to 2018, and then worked with his team at Maslak Hospital, Acıbadem Health Group, until September 2021.

Since October 2021, he has been working with his team at his private clinic in Fulya and Ulus Hospital of Liv Health Group. Prof. Elmacı is the founding chairman of the Skull Base Society in Turkey and a member of the Executive Committee of the European Skull Base Society (ESBS). With more than 110 published scientific papers in international journals and over 250 congress presentations, he continues to shape the field of neurosurgery.

Since November 2023, he has been working with his team at Istanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital, focusing on cutting-edge areas of research and treatment, including brain and spinal tumors, pituitary adenomas, brain vascular diseases, back and neck pain, hydrocephalus, cerebellar herniation, syringomyelia, and trigeminal neuralgia. He also specializes in microsurgery, endoscopic surgery, and advanced techniques like neuromonitorization and neuronavigation to improve patient outcomes. His work is guided by ethical principles, always aiming to preserve patients’ quality of life.