15.10.2026 15:16
The medical tradition that began in Ankara with Surgeon Dr. İlhami Ağar reached its 4th generation with Ravza Zeynep Sılay, who graduated from TOBB ETÜ Faculty of Medicine in August. The 24-year-old young physician, whose paternal grandmother is a microbiology specialist, paternal grandfather a urology specialist, mother a geriatrics specialist, and father a family physician, said her goal is psychiatry.
In ANKARA, Dr. Ulya Sılay (75), daughter of Surgeon Dr. İlhami Ağar, who died in 1995, works as a microbiology specialist, and her husband Dr. Mehmet Sılay works as a urology specialist, while the couple's son Yavuz Selim (50) continues his duty as a family physician, and his wife Prof. Dr. Kamile Sılay (50) as a geriatrics specialist. The third-generation couple Yavuz Selim and Kamile Sılay's daughter Ravza Zeynep Sılay (24) also graduated from medical school and became the family's fourth-generation physician.
In the Sılay family, the medical profession extended from the great-grandfather to the fourth-generation grandchild. The family's medical tradition began with Surgeon Dr. İlhami Ağar, who studied at Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine between 1943 and 1949 and served for many years as a general surgery specialist. Ağar died in 1995, while his daughter Dr. Ulya Sılay, a graduate of Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, served her country as a microbiology specialist, and her husband Dr. Mehmet Sılay, a graduate of the same faculty, as a urology specialist. The couple's son Dr. Yavuz Selim Sılay, a graduate of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, is a family physician, and his wife Prof. Dr. Kamile Sılay, a graduate of Karadeniz University Faculty of Medicine, specialized in geriatrics. The third-generation couple Yavuz Selim and Kamile Sılay's daughter Ravza Zeynep Sılay also graduated from TOBB ETÜ Faculty of Medicine in August and stepped into the profession as the family's fourth-generation physician.
IT BECAME LIKE A FAMILY PROFESSION
Dr. Ulya Sılay, who represents the second generation in the family with her husband Dr. Mehmet Sılay, saying that she retired a while ago, used the following statements: “Medicine is a very beautiful profession in terms of serving people. We help people. We try to find remedies for their illnesses. Being a member of the medical profession is a beautiful, honorable job. Therefore, I am very happy that my children and my grandchild are doctors. When my son Yavuz became a doctor, when he got into Ankara Medical School, I was very happy. My grandchild was also a successful student. It's probably a bit genetic. I was very proud when my grandchild graduated, and we also realize that we have grown old. Children somewhat do the profession they see from their parents. It became like a family profession for us. There have been four generations of doctors. In my father's time, it was the golden age of doctoring. Then came the silver age. Now we are in a different era. Medical devices have also improved a lot.”
Dr. Mehmet Sılay, who also served as chief physician in his career and now continues his duty as an institutional physician, said: “Turkish doctors, doctors trained in Turkey, are very fortunate and lucky, very skilled. At the moment, patients are coming to Turkey from the Balkans. Today, patients are coming to Turkey from Pakistan, India, and Iran. That is, they entrust themselves to us in order to receive treatment. Young people especially do this even more successfully. Medicine is a long education. Now I think young people are luckier. I still haven't given up my profession. I continue my duty as an institutional physician.”
THEY STAYED IN AMERICA FOR 13 YEARS AND RETURNED TO THE COUNTRY
Prof. Dr. Kamile Sılay, who represents the third generation in the family with her husband Dr. Yavuz Selim Sılay and is the Administrative and Training Officer of the Geriatrics Clinic at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, also said: “We stayed in America for 13 years. Then we made a definitive return to our country. Our main goal was always to serve here. Our country's healthcare system is very good, very valuable. I love my job very much. That is why I may have directed my daughter to the profession. We generally leave the choices to our children. I know Zeynep will also be a very good doctor; it already suits her personality very well. We were very happy when she also chose this profession. Since we do it with love ourselves and I know she will do it with great love and be happy, I was very happy for her. Of course, as parents, we were also very proud on our own behalf.”
Family Physician Dr. Yavuz Selim Sılay said: “We represent the third generation of a four-generation doctor family. While I started my education again and became a student, my daughter became a doctor. In this family, education actually always continues, and we do our best to be useful to people. Of course, having a grandfather, father, and mother who are physicians affects a person. It is a field where one can be useful to people until the last person remains. No matter how much technology develops, physicians are always needed. The way my mother and father touched people's lives excited me greatly. I was very emotional when my daughter graduated. We received her diploma together. I hope she will provide beautiful services to the homeland, the nation, the state, and our people. In the story of these four generations, what interests me is that we all love education very much and we love to take people's troubles to heart.”
NEW GRADUATE ZEYNEP'S GOAL IS PSYCHIATRY
New graduate Ravza Zeynep Sılay, who represents the fourth generation in the family, also said: “My goal right now is psychiatry. I was most influenced by my mother, my father, and my close circle. My mother especially made great sacrifices and advanced in this field. In that respect, she is an inspiration to me. I entered the department with great love and great care. Having people at home from whom I can always ask questions and get advice, who can guide me, is such a great advantage. Whether it's my father, my mother, or my grandparents. It makes things very easy for me and motivates me. I feel lucky.”