From being a salesclerk on the bazaar to the Dean of the Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty

61-years-old Prof. Dr. Sait Gönen, who was born and raised in Konya where he spent his childhood and youth while doing salesclerk in the bazaar is raising several doctors as the dean of the Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, today.

Gönen, who lived with his family in Konya, was a salesclerk in the bazaar and at the same time he was also studying at school, and he achieved great success at his school. Gönen, who drew attention with his high grades, started to dream about being a doctor when he was very young.
After having a successful education life, Gönen started to wait his university exam result. Gönen learned his result while selling watermelons in the bazaar. Gönen indicates that he had a great joy and entered Medical Faculty at Trakya University. Gönen completed his education at Cerrahpaşa and graduated in 1985. Prof. Dr. Gönen, who has more than 135 national and international publishing, said that after years he was very proud of being a dean of the school where he was educated. Gönen, who was awarded worthy of important awards for the work in his field and today who has been helping raise many students, sets an example for everyone with his determined story.
Prof. Dr. Sait Gönen, Dean of the Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, while speaking about both working in bazaar and preparing for exams, states that “I studied primary, secondary and high school in Konya. It’s because I was the child of the civil servant, I was working in the bazaars and unloading the watermelons from trucks. When I got the result that I entered the medical school I was selling watermelon in the bazaar. That was also an important memory for me. I went to medical school both my own wish and my family’s guidance. When I take a step back and look at my past, I say I am glad I became a doctor. Being a doctor is a very sacred occupation. Being a doctor is more than an occupation, it is a 24-hour lifestyle. I was also educated here in these desks and graduated in 1985. Again, in this school where I was educated, I am currently managing here which is a real pleasure and honour for me. Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty is a legacy that remains to us from our professors. If we can take this legacy a few steps further in every direction, it will become a good memory for us in this eternal dome and this would be insatiable happiness for us. I am a dean here, but I examine patients in the polyclinic two days a week. I think being a doctor is an elixir of life for us.” Giving advice to students, Prof. Dr. Sait Gönen says “Do not try to do the best; just trying to do your best is enough. If they do this not only working as a doctor but also as a student, they will be happy, peaceful, and successful. Also, they may not be a sprinter and they may move away from their goal from time to time, but I think they will reach their goal without losing it. It may take some time but, in the end, they reach the goal which they desire”.
I AM A PERSON WHO NEVER SEEN A HOSPITAL UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL
Speaking about his student years, Gönen said that “During primary school, my deceased mother and family circle had rumours that I will be a doctor. I was a bit hard-working student which also affected their thoughts. I am a person who never saw a hospital until high school. Being a doctor, above an occupation, is a lifestyle. One of your neighbours gets sick and the first door they knock is yours, one of your relatives gets sick and the first person they call is you. That is why it is more than an occupation, it is a lifestyle. The ones who will pick medical school should know this. There is a bazaar in Konya, and that day I bought a truck of watermelons, I was unloading and selling them, I kept selling because I was going to sell it and pay for the watermelon or make some money. I continued to sell but I may have sold it a bit cheaper than normal because of the happiness.”
In addition to his many academic achievements, Prof. Dr. Gönen was awarded as Successful Researcher Certificate by the Istanbul University Research Fund for his contribution to Turkish science with his international publications in 1999. Gönen won the first prize with his publications titled “Effects of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in KATP Channel Genes on Type 2 Diabetes in Turkish Population” within the framework of the “Diabetes Mellitus Scientific Publication Award” program by the Turkish Diabetes Foundation in 2014.