Mehmet was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkiye. He attended Istanbul University School of Medicine where he developed an interest in immunology and worked as a research assistant in Dr. Saruhan-Direskeneli`s lab studying B and T cell co-stimulation pathways in myasthenia gravis.
After graduation, he further trained as a research fellow at Mayo Clinic under mentorship of Dr. Duarte-Garcia and Dr. Crowson. His research focused on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supported lupus national registry called Lupus Midwest Network (LUMEN) studying the incidence, prevalence, healthcare utilization and comorbidities of lupus spectrum disorders.
Subsequently, he continued his clinical training in internal medicine at the University of Maryland where he continued his research training under the mentorship of Dr. Hong studying genetic epidemiology of rheumatic conditions in biobanks across the globe such as UK Biobank and Finngen.
His research work has been published in high impact journals including Arthritis & Rheumatology, Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Autoimmunity Reviews and Mayo Clinic Proceedings. He has received Medical Resident Research Award and Resident Research Preceptorship from Rheumatology Research Foundation.
Outside of medicine, Mehmet is interested in international travel, reading and hiking.
- MD, Istanbul University School of Medicine
- Research Fellow, Mayo Clinic
- Residency, Internal Medicine, University of Maryland
