Prof. Dr. N. Çiğdem ARSLAN

Prof. Dr. N. Çiğdem Arslan is a Professor of General Surgery specialising in colorectal surgery, proctology and pelvic floor disorders. She holds the European Board Qualification in Coloproctology (FEBS – Coloproctology). She is a faculty member in the Department of General Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Health and Technology University (ISTUN), and sees patients at her private practice in Fulya and at Liv Hospital Vadi Istanbul.

Education and Training

She completed her secondary education at Konya Meram Anatolian High School and Meram Science High School. She studied medicine at Akdeniz University, undertaking clinical placements and internship training at the Università degli Studi di Milano during her studies. She graduated from medical school in 2007.

In the same year, she began her residency in the Department of General Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, qualifying as a general surgeon in 2013. During her residency, she spent one year as a research fellow in the Department of Robotic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, USA, supported by the Turkish Surgical Society’s Dr. Eren Berber Scholarship. Between 2013 and 2017, she completed a fellowship in colorectal surgery at Liv Hospital Ulus and Istinye University.

Academic Career

• 2025–Professor — Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Health and Technology University (ISTUN)
• 2017–2024Assistant Professor; Associate Professor from 2019 — Department of General Surgery, International School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University
• 2015–2017Assistant Professor — Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Istinye University
• 2007–2013Resident — Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University

She taught undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses at Istanbul Medipol University and served as Education Coordinator of the International School of Medicine from 2021 to 2024.

Board Certifications

• 2021 — European Board Qualification in Coloproctology (FEBS/EBSQ Coloproctology), UEMS European Board of Surgery, Brussels
• 2021 — Board Certification in Colorectal Surgery, Turkish Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery
• 2013 — Board Certification in General Surgery, Turkish Surgical Society
• Certificate in Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery, Dokuz Eylül University

Roles in Professional Societies

• Chair, Research Committee (Clinical Research Unit), Turkish Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery (TSCRS)
• Congress Secretary, TSCRS 2027 Congress
• Member, TSCRS Pelvic Floor Working Group
• Congress President, 4th International Pilonidal Congress (International Pilonidal Society), Istanbul, 2024
• National Lead for Türkiye, PILO-ACT International Pilonidal Abscess Study, European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP)
• Organising Committee Member, EBSQ Coloproctology Preparatory Courses for Türkiye and Eastern Europe (2020–)

Editorial Roles

Since 2025, she has served as an Associate Editor and peer reviewer for the Turkish Journal of Surgery (Ulusal Cerrahi Dergisi). She was an Associate Editor of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology from 2018 to 2020 and received the journal’s “Young Editor of the Year” award in 2020. She served as an Associate Editor of the Turkish Journal of Colorectal Disease from 2021 to 2022. In 2022, she completed the European Association of Science Editors (EASE) School for Editors.

Research and Publications

According to Web of Science data (October 2026), she has 80 publications, of which 69 are indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, with 623 citations and an h-index of 14. She is a co-editor of Current Treatment of Haemorrhoidal Disease and has contributed chapters to national and international books. She teaches and speaks at national and international congresses and courses, particularly on peritoneal malignancies, pelvic floor disorders and proctology. A complete list of her publications is available on the Academic Publications page.

Clinical and Research Interests

• Colorectal cancer
• Peritoneal malignancies: cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)
• Complex abdominal wall and hernia surgery
• Pelvic floor disorders and proctology: pilonidal sinus disease, anal fistula and anal HPV screening with high-resolution anoscopy
• Gut microbiota and functional bowel disorders: artificial intelligence-assisted, microbiota-guided personalised dietary interventions

Professional Memberships

European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP, 2017–) · Turkish Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery (2016–) · Turkish Surgical Society (2014–) · International Pilonidal Society · Society for Thermal Medicine (2018–)