I was born in Istanbul Şişli Etfal Hospital. After a short trip to Kütahya, Van, Gaziantep and Trabzon due to my father's job, I returned to Istanbul. As Master Yahya Kemal said, the best part of this trip was returning to Istanbul.
My passion for reading and writing started at Gaziantep College and then at Erenköy Zihni Paşa Primary School; I attended Istanbul Fenerbahçe Secondary School and Fenerbahçe High School.
My adventure at Ankara Gülhane Military Medical Academy, where I had the chance to enjoy returning to Istanbul, began in 1983. I graduated from the Military Medical School as a medical lieutenant in 1989, and as my first appointment, I served as Sanitary Company Commander, Infirmary Chief Physician and Health Branch Manager, respectively, under the command of the 2nd Armored Brigade Command.
I received specialist training at GATA Haydarpaşa Training Hospital General Surgery Service. I took a microsurgery course at Gülhane Military Medical Academy Hospital. In the same year, I submitted my thesis titled "Investigation of Factors Affecting Prognosis in Gastric Adenocarcinomas Undergoing Surgical Treatment" and became a general surgeon.
I worked as a general surgeon as well as the Chief Physician at Siirt 3rd Commando Brigade Mobile Surgery Hospital. In 2001, while I was appointed as general surgery specialist at Gallipoli Military Hospital, I retired from the Turkish Armed Forces at the rank of medical major.
Fate must not have deemed it appropriate for me to live in Istanbul, so this time we hit the road as a family. I settled in Mersin with my wife and son. In 2001, I started working as an assistant professor at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery.
Between 2001 and 2002, I worked as Deputy Chief Physician at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine Research and Practice Hospital. Between 2003 and 2006, I served as the Deputy Director of Mersin University Vocational School of Health Services, and between 2004 and 2006, I was the coordinator of the Surgical Technician Program at this school, of which I was also the founder of the idea.
In 2004, I had the opportunity to work for a while in the Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery at the Haukeland Hospital of the University of Bergen, Norway, to improve my breast and endocrine surgery experience and to serve this department in our own clinic.
I became an associate professor of general surgery in 2006.
In 2012, I was appointed as a professor at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery.
Between 2013 and 2016, I served as the Chairman of the Postgraduate Education Coordination Board of Mersin University Faculty of Medicine.
In 2013, I completed my doctorate at Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of History of Medicine and Ethics, with my thesis titled "Evaluation of the Asklepieion of Pergamon from a Medical Perspective" and received the title of Doctor of Science in History of Medicine and Ethics. Between 2009 and 2011, I served as the Founding Head of the Department of Medical History and Ethics at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine.
In 2014, I graduated from Anadolu University Open Education Faculty Photography and Videography Associate Degree Program.
Among my professional works;
"Washington Surgery Handbook" published by Adana Nobel Medical Bookstore in 2002 (Translation Editorship and chapter translations).
"The Fact of Breast Cancer: The Questions You Are Afraid to Ask and Their Answers", the first edition of which was published by Mersin University in 2007 and the second edition of which was published by Adana Nobel Medical Bookstore in 2007 (Editor and Chapter Writer).
“Diagnosis and Physical Examination in Surgical Patients” (Editor and Chapter Author), published by Adana Nobel Medical Bookstore in 2008.
“Breast Cancer in 99 Pages” (Co-Author with Prof. Dr. Süha Aydın), published by İş Bankası Culture Publications in 2009.
“Breast Cancer in All Its Aspects” (Joint Editor with Prof. Dr. Süha Aydın), published by Adana Nobel Medical Bookstore in 2011.
"Bergama Asklepieionu: Monumental Health Institution of Ancient Medicine" (co-authored with Prof. Dr. İlter Uzel), published by Bergama Municipality Publications in 2018.
"General Surgery" published by Academician Bookstore in 2020 (co-edited with Prof. Dr. Güldeniz Karadeniz and Prof. Dr. Ali Uğur Emre).
I wrote a chapter each in the books “Cancer and Ethics” and “Obesity and Ethics” with my medical school students.
In addition to books, I was the founding editor of the journal "Mersin University Faculty of Medicine Lokman Hekim Journal of Medical History and Folkloric Medicine", which was published online.
I prepared the "Ethics Training Set" for the Turkish Surgical Association, in which I hosted Turkey's leading ethicists as speakers.
In addition to my scientific studies, I was also interested in radio programs, photography and oral history studies.
My desire to be in front of the microphone, which started with "The Legend of Elvis Presley" on Mersin University Radio, took over me day by day.
I sang Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's work, Speech, in five-minute segments every weekday for about a year.
The pleasure I got from Mersin University Radio's "A Judas Tree Scented Fairy Tale: Istanbul" program, in which I took a trip to Istanbul wrapped in myths, was something else.
I voiced the biography of Elvis Presley myself, which I re-arranged for Açık Radyo.
Meanwhile, I started writing weekly articles under the title "Coffee Break" in Mersin University's online newspaper. However, since we do not have the habit of reading, I voiced my articles and turned them into a video accompanied by pictures and music. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time I've tried the "corner clip" style instead of "column text".
In addition to the photography project titled "Doors of Tarsus", I was the general coordinator of the oral history study titled "Professions Disappear, Masters Resist".
I edited a book called "15 Years of Mersin University Faculty of Medicine" and directed a 60-minute documentary about the history of Mersin University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine.
Between 2012 and 2013, I wrote monthly articles on the History of Medicine and Ethics in Bilim ve Ütopya magazine under the title "Medicine: Before and Beyond".
During the academic years between 2014-2020, I taught the elective course "Medical Photography" to second-year students of Mersin University Faculty of Medicine. I conducted Turkey's first and only Medical Photography certificate program within Mersin University Continuing Education and Research Center. In this program, which I attach great importance to, I gave basic photography training as well as advanced medical photography lessons to participants from many cities of Turkey. It is possible to access detailed information about this training at http://tamerakca.wixsite.com/medikal-fotograf.
In 2016, I was honored with the Presidency of the 20th National Surgery Congress by the Turkish Surgical Association Board of Directors.
In July 2018, I completed my master's degree by presenting my thesis, an oral history study called "Ara Güler's View of Art and Photography", at Mersin University Social Sciences Institute, Art History Department and received the title of Art History Science Specialist.
In 2022, I completed my associate degree at Anadolu University Open Education Faculty Radio and Television Programming department.
Not to brag, but I am a Fenerbahçe fan. My wife and son too, of course.
I have been performing breast and endocrine surgery since 2004.
I retired in July 2022. We hit the road one last time as a family and settled in Izmir, the apple of our country's eye.
In March 2023, I completed my master's degree by presenting my thesis titled "States of the Mind in the Twenty-Fourth Century - Star Trek, Ferengi and Philosophers" at Mersin University Social Sciences Institute, Department of Philosophy, and received the title of Philosophy Science Specialist.
I am a member of the Turkish Surgical Association, Turkish Bioethics Association, Izmir Breast Diseases Association and Izmir Photographic Art Association (IFOD).
I am currently working as a faculty member at İzmir Tınaztepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery. I am also the Director of Izmir Tınaztepe University Continuing Education Research and Application Center (İZTÜSEM).
I continue to perform breast and endocrine surgery in my practice in Alsancak and Izmir Tınaztepe University Private Galen Hospital.