Keynote Speakers

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şuayıp BİRİNCİ

Deputy Minister of Health

Şuayıp Birinci was born in Rize in 1973. He completed his primary and secondary education in Rize and Trabzon, and his university education at Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Medicine. After becoming a medical doctor, he completed a master’s degree in “Leadership and Global Entrepreneurship,” and master’s and doctoral degrees in “Healthcare Institutions Management.”

Birinci, who is an associate professor in his field, began his professional career in 1998. He worked as a physician in various public institutions in Rize and Istanbul. He served as Deputy Chief Physician at Ümraniye E&R Hospital (2005-2009), Deputy Director at the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate (2009-2012), and General Secretary at the TKHK (Turkish Public Hospitals Authority) Istanbul Anatolian North Region (2012-2014).

He served as Deputy Undersecretary (2014-2018) in the Central Organization of the Ministry of Health and was appointed Deputy Minister of Health in August 2018, a position he currently holds. During his time at the Ministry, he continued to perform tasks related to determining strategies and goals, planning, regulation, and coordination.

Dr. Birinci, a member of the advisory board of Teknofest, has pioneered the organization of competitions in health technologies and artificial intelligence in healthcare. He is the founder and executive board member of TÜSAP, Turkey’s first think-tank on health policies and management. A member of the TÜRKSAT board of directors, Dr. Birinci also serves as the chairman of the board of directors of the Izmir Biomedical and Genome Center. In 2021, he was selected by HIMSS as one of the 50 most influential leaders shaping the future of healthcare globally (one of ten public officials selected).

Dr. Birinci manages Turkey’s “Digital Transformation in Healthcare” process. Dr. Birinci has personally designed and successfully led the implementation of numerous IT projects (e-Nabız, Teleradiology, SBA, MİZ, HSYS, ESİM, REÇETEM, Beyaz Kod, ASOS, SİNA, EKİP, e-Report System, HYP, MELİS, Corona Prevention, FİTAS, RUHSAD, ÖZDES, Health Panel, Life Fits at Home, Dr. e-Nabız, AŞILA, NeyimVar?, EVS, Disaster Support, etc.) that serve as examples on a regional and global level in the digital health journey, contributing to the adoption of a “knowledge-driven management culture” in all areas of healthcare.

Dr. Birinci has numerous national and international books, articles, and scientific studies, primarily on healthcare management, digitalization in healthcare, health economics, the national technology initiative in healthcare, healthy living, health promotion and preventive health services, treatment services, remote healthcare, and the future of health.

Dr. Birinci is married and has three children.

Prof. Dr. Nevzat ÖZEL

Ankara University

Nevzat Özel is a professor at the Department of Information and Records Management, Ankara University, Türkiye. He holds a PhD in Information and Document Management and has over 21 years of academic and administrative experience in knowledge management, information management, digital learning, and information literacy.

He previously served as Director and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Open and Distance Education at Ankara University, where he led the development of large-scale digital learning systems serving more than 75,000 users. His expertise includes AI-enabled knowledge management, learning analytics, and digital transformation strategies.

His current research focuses on the intersections of artificial intelligence, information management, knowledge management, and digital transformation.

Muhammet Şimşek

Head of the Forensic Medicine Institute

Muhammet Şimşek received his B.Sc. degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Yıldız Technical University, where he also pursued a double major program in Mathematical Engineering. He also holds a degree in Business Administration from Anadolu University. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at Yıldız Technical University. His doctoral research focuses on “Explainable Deep Learning Approaches for Decision Support in Forensic Pathology.” His research interests include artificial intelligence, deep learning, explainable AI (XAI), and decision support systems in forensic sciences.

He began his professional career as a System Engineer at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and later worked as an Expert at Türksat Satellite Communication Inc. He subsequently served at the Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Turkiye (ICTA) as an Expert, Deputy Regional Director, and Regional Director of the Istanbul (Marmara Region) Office. After serving as Head of the Department of Digital Forensics at the Council of Forensic Medicine, he has been serving as Vice President of the Council of Forensic Medicine, Ministry of Justice, Türkiye, since October 2022.