Associate Professor Özgül Ekmekçioğlu, M.D.

Career Summary:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr., Nuclear Medicine Physician, Yeditepe University Kosuyolu Hospital Nuclear Medicine Department / 04/2026-current position
• Assoc. Prof. Dr., Nuclear Medicine Physician, Independent Researcher / 12/2025 - 04/2026
• Assoc. Prof. Dr., Nuclear Medicine Physician, Istanbul Bilim University Florence Nightingale Hospital / 06/2025 - 12/2025
• Assoc. Prof. Dr., Nuclear Medicine Physician, Saglik Bilimleri University, Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 03/2022-06/2025
• Senior Clinical Fellow, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Birmingham Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 06/2022 – 03/2023
• Nuclear Medicine Physician, Saglik Bilimleri University, Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 12/2017 - 05/2022
• Nuclear Medicine Physician, Bagcilar Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 07/2017 - 11/2017
• Clinical Research Fellow Erasmus Medical University, Rotterdam, Radiology&Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 09/2016 - 07/2017
• Nuclear Medicine Physician, Bagcilar Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 05/2013 - 09/2016
• Assistant Doctor, Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Nuclear Medicine Department / 2009 - 2013
• Medical Doctor Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty / 2000 – 2006
• Observer Nuclear Medicine Physician, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 11/2014 - 12/2014
• Observer Assistant Doctor, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 08/2010 - 10/2010
• Assistant Doctor, Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Anesthesiology and Reanimation Department / 10/2007 - 07/2008
• MD, Puturge Public Hospital, Malatya / 09/2008 - 01/2009

Fields of Study:

• Theranostics & Radionuclide Therapies
• PET/CT and Molecular Imaging 
• Radioembolization
• Thyroid Cancer
• Neuroimaging

Professional Publications:

A- Publications - International Journals

• van Geel, Jasper J L et al. “18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography for Estimating Outcomes After Initial Treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Nonrandomized Clinical Cohort Trial.” JAMA oncology, e260767. 16 Apr. 2026, doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2026.0767 
• Ekmekcioglu O, Hughes S, Fendler WP, Verzijlbergen F, Kong G, Hofman MS. May the Nuclear Medicine be with you! Neuroendocrine tumours and the return of nuclear medicine. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2024 Aug 19. doi: 10.1007/s00259-024-06877-6. Epub ahead of print.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Albert NL, Heinrich K, Tolboom N, Van Weehaeghe D, Traub-Weidinger T, Atay LO, Garibotto V, Morbelli S. Neurological Disorders and Women's Health: Contribution of Molecular Neuroimaging Techniques. Semin Nucl Med. 2024 Mar;54(2):237-246. doi: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2024.01.010. Epub 2024 Feb 15. PMID: 38365546.
• Eisses B, van Geel JJL, Brouwers AH, Bensch F, Elias SG, Kuip EJM, Jager A, van der Vegt B, Lub-de Hooge MN, Emmering J, Arens AIJ, Zwezerijnen GJC, Vugts DJ, Menke-van der Houven van Oordt CW, de Vries EGE, Schröder CP, on behalf of the IMPACT-MBC consortium. Whole-Body HER2 Heterogeneity Identified on HER2 PET in HER2-Negative, Low, and Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer. J Nucl Med. 2024 Oct 1;65(10):1540-1547. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.124.267636. PMID: 39237347.
• Ozen A, Sayin T, Kandemir O, et al. Comparison between 18F-FDG PET/CT and diffusion-weighted imaging in detection of invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Asia Ocean J Nucl Med Biol. 2024;12(1):11-20. doi:10.22038/AOJNMB.2023.70534.1493
• Gürez C, Özen A, Ekmekçioğlu Ö. How Radioactive Iodine Treatment Affects the Retina. World J Nucl Med. 2023;22(4):257-260. Published 2023 Dec 4. doi:10.1055/s-0043- 1774419
• Ekmekcioglu O, Terry SYA, Morbelli S, et al. Superfluous, controversial and luxury issues in nuclear medicine. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2023;50(9):2582 2587. doi:10.1007/s00259-023-06228-x
• Ekmekcioglu O, Erdem U, Arican P, Ozvar H, Bostanci O. The value of radioembolisation therapy on metastatic liver tumours - a single centre experience. Der Wert der Radioembolisationstherapie bei metastasierten Lebertumoren – eine Erfahrung aus einem einzigen Zentrum. Nuklearmedizin. 2023;62(3):214-219. doi:10.1055/a-2026-0851
• Verger A, Barthel H, Tolboom N, Fraioli F, Cecchin D, Albert NL, van Berckel B, Boellaard R, Brendel M, Ekmekcioglu O, Semah F, Traub-Weidinger T, van de Weehaeghe D, Morbelli S, Guedj E. 2-[18F]-FDG PET for imaging brain involvement in patients with long COVID: perspective of the EANM Neuroimaging Committee. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 Sep;49(11):3599-3606. doi: 10.1007/s00259-022-05913-7. PMID: 35840817; PMCID: PMC9286958.
• Evangelista L, Pietrzak A, Ekmekcioglu O, Ovcaricek PP, Ambrosini V, Balogova S, Cunha L, Eccles A, Garibotto V, Lewington V, Israel O, Kunikowska J. Gender issues in the nuclear medicine community: results from a survey promoted by the EANM Women Empowerment Task Force. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 Jun;49(7):2106-2112. doi: 10.1007/s00259- 022-05790-0.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Yavuzsan AH, Arican P, Kirecci SL. Is there a nonnegligible effect of maximum standardized uptake value in the staging and management of prostate cancer with 68Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computerized tomography imaging? A single-center experience. J Cancer Res Ther. 2021 Oct-Dec;17(6):1351-1357. doi: 10.4103/jcrt.JCRT_1223_20.
• Guedj E, Varrone A, Boellaard R, Albert NL, Barthel H, van Berckel B, Brendel M, Cecchin D, Ekmekcioglu O, Garibotto V, Lammertsma AA, Law I, Peñuelas I, Semah F, Traub-Weidinger T, van de Giessen E, Van Weehaeghe D, Morbelli S. EANM procedure guidelines for brain PET imaging using [18F]FDG, version 3. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 Jan;49(2):632-651. doi: 10.1007/s00259-021-05603-w. DOI: 10.4274/nts.galenos.2021.0035
• Evangelista L, Ekmekcioglu O, Kunikowska J. Gender balance in the editorial board of nuclear medicine journals. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2021 Nov;48(12):3749-3750. doi: 10.1007/s00259-021-05491-0.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Evangelista L, Kunikowska J. Women in nuclear medicine. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2021 Aug;48(9):2678-2679. doi: 10.1007/s00259-021 05418-9. PMID: 34032864.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Tabakci ON, Bozdag NK, et al. Factors affecting the response to treatment and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with transarterial radioembolisation: a single-centre experience. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Mar 12. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0000000000002117.
• Has Simsek D, Kuyumcu S, Karadogan S, Oflas M, Isik EG, Ozkan ZG, Paksoy N, Ekmekcioglu O, Ekenel M, Sanli Y. Can PSMA-based tumor burden predict response to docetaxel treatment in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer? Ann Nucl Med. 2021 Mar 30. doi: 10.1007/s12149-021-01610-x.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Sonmezoglu K. Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT Images of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Mimicking Metastasis in a Patient With Small Cell Lung Carcinoma. Cureus. 2020 Nov 29;12(11):e11770. doi: 10.7759/cureus.11770.
• Morbelli S, Ekmekcioglu O et al. COVID-19 and the brain: impact on nuclear medicine in neurology. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2020;47:2487-92
• Morbelli S, Esposito G, Arbizu J, et al. Ekmekcioglu O et al. EANM practice guideline/SNMMI procedure standard for dopaminergic imaging in Parkinsonian syndromes 1.0. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2020;47:1885-912.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Busstra M, Klass ND, Verzijlbergen F. Bridging the imaging gap: PSMA PET/CT has a high impact on treatment planning in prostate cancer patients with biochemical recurrence - a narrative review of literature. J Nucl Med. 2019 Mar 8. pii: jnumed.118.222885. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.118.222885.
• Ekmekcioglu, O. Research, Research, Otherwise we are lost!: J Nuc Med. 2018 Apr;59:719
• Morbelli S, Arbizu J, Booij J, Chen MK, Chetelat G, Cross DJ, Djekidel M, Drzezga A, Ekmekcioglu O et al. The need of standardization and of large clinical stu ies in an emerging indication of [18F]FDG PET: the autoimmune encephalitis. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2017 Mar;44:353-357
• Zanotti-Fregonara P, Chastan M, Edet-Sanson A, Ekmekcioglu O, Erdogan EB, Hapdey S, Hindie E, Stabin MG. New fetal doses from 18FDG administered du ing pregnancy: standardization of dose calculations and estimations with voxel-based anthropomorphic phantoms. J Nucl Med. 2016 Nov;57:1760-1763
• Ozen A, Altinay S, Ekmekcioglu O et al. Dual-Time 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging in Initial Locoregional Staging of Breast Carcinoma: Comparison with Conventional Imaging and Pathological Prognostic Factors. Indian J Surg, 2016. Oct;78:382-389
• Ozen A, Baştuğ E, Aşkaroğlu B, Ekmekcioglu O. The Rare Isolated Solitary Muscle Metastasis of Breast Carcinoma Confirmed by 18F-FDG PET/CT. J Clin Anal Med 2016;7: 557-9
• Ozen A, Sut P, Ekmekcioglu O et al. The metastasis of atypical carcinoid tumor in breast detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT. Sylwan. 2015 159(3);542-550
• Ekmekcioglu O, Zerizer I, Pilkington P et al. The Young EANM Committee survey. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2016:601-3
• Vatankulu B, Ekmekcioglu O, Aksoy SY et al. Assessment of treatment response with FDG PET/CT on a primary neuroendocrine tumor of vagina. Rev Esp Med Nucl Imagen Mol. 2016;35:143-4.
• Yilmaz S, Aliyev A, Ekmekcioglu O et al. Comparison of FDG and FDG-labeled leukocytes PET/CT in diagnosis of infection. Nuklearmedizine 2015;54:262-71.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Vatankulu B, Akyel R, Ozbayrak M, Sonmezoglu K. FDG-PET/CT imaging of an isolated recurrence in the eyelid of a patient with follicular lymphoma. Clin Nucl Med 2015;40:871-2
• Uzel EK, Ekmekcioglu O, Elicin O, Halac M, Uzel OE. Is FDG -PET-CT A Valuable Tool in Prediction of Persistent Disease in Head and Neck Cancer. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2013;14:4847-51.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Aliyev A, Yilmaz S, Arslan E, Kaya R, Kocael P, Erkan ME, Halac M, Sonmezoglu K. Correlation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake withhistopathological prognostic factors in breast carcinoma. Nucl Med Commun. 2013;34:1055-67.
• Erdogan EB, Ekmekcioglu O, Vatankulu B, Ergül N, Demir M, Sonmezoglu K. An unknown pregnancy at term detected by a FDG-PET/CT study in a patient with Hodgkin’s lymphoma: A case report. Rev Esp Med Nucl Imagen Mol. 2015; 34:201-2
• Yilmaz S, Vatankulu B, Ekmekcioglu O, Sager S, Halac M. FDG and FDG-labelled leucocyte PET/CT in the imaging of prosthetic joint infection: response to Lazzeri et al. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2014 ;41:1813-4.

B- Publications—National Journals

• Kostek M, Kostek H, Unlu MT, Caliskan O, Cakir Y, Sengul Z, Ekmekcioglu O, Kafi M, Ozel A, Aygun N, Uludag M. (2025). Deciding on Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy in Thyroid Incidentalomas in FDG-PET/CT: Should Ultrasonographic Evaluation or FDG Uptake Be in the Foreground? Sisli Etfal Hastanesi tip bulteni, 59,20–27. https://doi.org/10.14744/SEMB.2025.49140
• Akçay, K., Beydağı, G., Şahin, O. E., Akyel, R., Akgün, E., Ekmekçioğlu, Ö., Alan Selçuk, N., Toklu, T., Doğan Ekici, A. I., Kapran, K., & Kabasakal, L. (2025). Improved Accuracy and Reliability of PRIMARY Scoring Using Delayed [68Ga] Ga-PSMA PET/CT Imaging. Molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy, 34(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.4274/mirt.galenos.2025.16023
• Ekmekçioğlu Ö, Battal M, Bostancı Ö, & Yılmaz Özgüven B. (2023). The Impact of Metabolic 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Parameters on the Prognosis of Resectable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy, 32(1), 35–41. https://doi.org/10.4274/mirt.galenos.2022.93823
• Ekmekcioglu O, Kaplan NB. The Utility of Ga-68 DOTA-TATE PET/CT on Clinical Management of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (GEP-NET) European Archives of Medical Research 2022; 38, 132 10.4274/eamr.galenos.2021.41196
• Ekmekcioglu O; Arıcan P; Berk G. Therapeutic Approach to Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Liver: The Radioembolization Nuclear Medicine Seminars 2021-11-01
• Ekmekcioglu O. The Use of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Patients with Recurrent Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. 2021 Oct 15;30(3):137-143. doi: 10.4274/mirt.galenos.2021.02360.
• Ekmekcioglu O; Calis M. 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging of an Extramedullary Solitary Plasmacytoma of the Maxillary Sinus; A Case Report. European Archives of Medical Research 2022-03-01 DOI: 10.4274/eamr.galenos.2022.59254
• Ekmekcioglu O, Bakan S, Sönmezoğlu K. Mesenteric Panniculitis Appears as Metastatic Disease on 18F-FDG-PET/CT Scan. Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. 2022 Jun 27;31(2):154- 156. doi: 10.4274/mirt.galenos.2021.95914. PMID: 35771041; PMCID: PMC9246301.
• Ekmekcioglu O, Arican P, Mese S, Kaplan N, Kafi M, Simsek D, Ertürk MS.. PET/CT findings of a patient with cardiac metastases of subungual malign melanoma. MIRT-59251
• Arslan E, Ekmekcioglu O, Gortan A et al. The value of FDG-PET/CT by using 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projection software analysis in the differential diagnosis of dementia. Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences. Turk J Med Sci. 2015;45:1149-58.

Memberships:

• Turkish Society of Nuclear Medicine
• European Association of Nuclear Medicine(Ethics Council Member)
• European Neuroendcorine Tumor Society
• European Society for Medical Oncology
• British Nuclear Medicine Society
• British Journal of Radiology - Editorial Board Member

Actively Performed Professional Duties:

• Yeditepe University Kosuyolu Hospital Nuclear Medicine Department

Certificates:

• MBA Essentials Stanford University – 2026 Summer Alumni (expected graduation)
• Conflict Management - Navigate Conflict and Deliver Feedback Harvard Business Review Harvard Business Review Issued Feb 2026 Issued Feb 2026 Credential ID LZTSOOBLC2E7Credential ID LZTSOOBLC2E7
• Amyloid and Tau PET Alzheimer's Association®Alzheimer's Association®Issued Feb 2026 Issued Feb 2026 Credential ID Category AMA-PRA CME Credential ID Category AMA-PRA CME
• Certificate for Leadership Development - edX Verified Certificate for Leadership Development - edX Verified Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Issued Jan 2026 Issued Jan 2026 Credential ID
• European Cooperation in Science and Technology Training School Certificate of Participation, Radionuclide theragnostics for personalised medicine, Sep 2024
• Certificate for Radioembolization Treatment- Therasphere Y90 Microshphere Treatment- Boston Scientific

Professional Awards:

• Suphi Artunkal Award -Turkish Society of Nuclear Medicine 2010 - Comparison of 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TATE and 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-NOC in the same patient group with somatostatin receptor expressing tumors. Ocak M, Ekmekçioğlu Ö, Kabasakal L, von Guggenberg E, Araman A, Uslu I, Decristoforo C,Accepted as Oral Presentation 9th International Oncology Congress
• MIRT Scientific Paper Prize 2024 - Ekmekçioğlu Ö, Battal M, Bostancı Ö et al. The Impact of Metabolic 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Parameters on the Prognosis of Resectable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. 2023 Feb;32(1):35-41. doi:10.4274/mirt.galenos.2022.93823.

Studying Abroad:

• Visiting Researcher, Nuclear Medicine Dept, HUG - Hopitaux Universitaires de Genève / 04/2026
• Senior Clinical Fellow, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Birmingham Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 2022 – 2023
• Clinical Research Fellow Erasmus Medical University, Rotterdam, Radiology&Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 2016 - 2017
• Observer Nuclear Medicine Physician, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 2014
• Observer Assistant Doctor, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands Nuclear Medicine Dept. / 2010