A Life Devotedto Science...
Prof. Dr. Metin Özata was a physician, scientist and academic who devoted his life to science, medicine and human health, and made significant contributions to Turkish medicine, particularly through his work in endocrinology and thyroid diseases. Through his scientific publications and more than 50 books, he passed his knowledge and experience on to future generations; throughout his university teaching career, he contributed to the education of many distinguished physicians. He left behind a valuable life remembered for his curiosity about science, his discipline and his dedication to his profession.
Prof. Dr. Metin Özata was born in Burdur on 4 May 1958. He attended Burdur Sakarya Primary School and the middle-school division of Burdur High School; in 1975, he graduated from Burdur High School as valedictorian. After studying for one year in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University, he began his medical education at Ege University Faculty of Medicine in 1976. In 1981, he transferred to GATA Military Medical Faculty, where he became the faculty’s first graduate and graduated as valedictorian in 1982.
He became a specialist in Internal Medicine in 1990, a specialist in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases in 1992, an associate professor in 1994 and a professor in 2003. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Director of the GATA Endocrinology and Internal Medicine Clinics. He also served as Head of the Medical Research Division at the GATA Research Center and as assistant editor of the Gülhane Medical Journal. In 2008, he voluntarily retired from GATA with the rank of Senior Medical Colonel and continued his professional work in Istanbul.
In 1986, he worked at the USAF Regional Medical Center in Wiesbaden, Federal Republic of Germany; from 1992 to 1993, he worked as a research fellow in Prof. Leslie J. DeGroot’s laboratory at the University of Chicago Endocrinology–Thyroid Unit, studying thyroid cancers and thyroid hormone resistance.
He conducted original scientific research in various fields of endocrinology, particularly thyroid diseases, diabetes, obesity and metabolism. One of his notable scientific studies investigated the identification of a leptin gene defect causing obesity in a Turkish family. This work on leptin and the genetic foundations of obesity was among his significant contributions to the international scientific literature and continues to be cited in scientific studies today.
Numerous scientific research articles by him were published in international medical journals; his work was presented at international congresses, and he participated as an invited speaker at scientific meetings held abroad.
In a 2018 assessment, he ranked 52nd among the first 100 scientists shaping medical science in Türkiye.
Throughout his career, Prof. Dr. Metin Özata received many awards not only for his scientific work but also for his service and achievements in different fields. Some of the 20 science awards he received for his scientific research are listed below:
- 1998 TÜBİTAK Science Incentive Award
- 2001 TÜBİTAK Türkiye Medical Research Award
- 1996 Turkish Diabetes Association Prof. Celal Öker Science Award
- 1997 Bayındır Medical Center Science Incentive Award
- 2000 Roche Medical Awards Competition First Prize
- 2001 Metabolic Syndrome X Scientific Competition First Prize
- 2003 Istanbul University Science Award
- 2003 Bayındır Medical Center Science Award
Alongside his academic and scientific work, Prof. Dr. Metin Özata placed great importance on sharing his knowledge with broad audiences and passing historical memory on to future generations. In addition to medicine, endocrinology, nutrition and health, he wrote works on Atatürk, Turkish medical history, GATA history, the history of Burdur and memoir.
More than 50 books were published during his lifetime. His works include Endokrinoloji, Metabolizma ve Diyabet; Atatürk ve Tıbbiyeliler; Atatürk, Bilim ve Üniversite; İlk Çağlardan Kurtuluş Savaşı’na Burdur Tarihi; Tiroid Hastalıklarında Tanı ve Tedavi; Obezite Tanı ve Tedavisi; Tiroid Kanserleri; Glisemik İndeks Diyeti; Hashimoto ve Yönetimi; and Anılarımdaki Burdur ve GATA.
Prof. Dr. Metin Özata, who was married and the father of two children, died in Istanbul on 22 January 2026. Following a military farewell ceremony held on 23 January 2026 in front of the Chief Physician’s Office of GATA Haydarpaşa Training and Research Hospital (Sultan Abdülhamid II Han), his funeral prayer was performed at Selimiye Mosque after the noon prayer that same day, and he was sent off from Istanbul with a military ceremony. Following the funeral prayer at Burdur Grand Mosque on 24 January 2026, he was laid to rest with a military ceremony in the family burial plot at Burdur Sultandere Cemetery. The street in Burdur’s Pazar Neighborhood where he was born and raised was named “Prof. Dr. Metin Özata,” preserving his memory.
He left behind a valuable legacy comprising his scientific work in medicine and endocrinology, his contributions to the international scientific literature, more than 50 books, and the multifaceted work he produced over many years in science, education, health and history. Through his work as a physician, scientist, academic and author, he made lasting contributions to the Turkish medical community; through his historical research and works, he also contributed permanently to the cultural memory of Burdur, where he was born and with which he maintained a lifelong bond. Throughout his university teaching career, he shared his knowledge and experience with students and colleagues, helping to educate many distinguished physicians.
Beyond all these academic and scientific achievements, throughout his medical career he touched the lives of his patients and devoted his knowledge and experience to their health. He left a mark on the lives of his patients and those who knew him not only through his scientific work and writings, but also through his medical practice and humanity; he continues to be remembered with love and respect today.