Prof. Dr. Zafer Orkun Toktaş

Prof. Dr. Zafer Orkun Toktaş is a distinguished neurosurgeon based in Istanbul, Turkey, with over two decades of experience in the field. He completed his medical education at Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine and pursued his neurosurgery specialization at Marmara University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, completing it in 2008. His thesis focused on "Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Their Role in Lumbar Disc Degeneration." Prof. Toktaş has been instrumental in pioneering advanced imaging techniques and case-based preoperative evaluation strategies for neurosurgery in Turkey. He has performed an average of 400 surgeries annually and has supervised the training of numerous scholars, both locally and internationally. His research interests include the genetics and biology of neural system tumors, treatment approaches for the aging spine, advanced imaging systems, spinal intradural tumors, and pediatric spine surgery. Prof. Toktaş has collaborated on multicenter studies with esteemed institutions such as Harvard University, UCSF, and universities in Korea and Turkey. He continues to contribute to the field as a lecturer in the Turkish Spine Association's "Eurospine Training Modules."