Professor Serhat Ünal, MD, is one of Türkiye’s leading physicians and academicians in the fields of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology. Born in 1957 in Pınarhisar, Kırklareli, he graduated from Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 1981. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Hacettepe University between 1981 and 1985, followed by subspecialty training in Infectious Diseases in 1989–1990. From 1990 to 1992, he pursued advanced fellowship training and research in Infectious Diseases at New England Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Professor Ünal was appointed Associate Professor in 1989 and Full Professor in 1995. Throughout his academic career, he has held numerous senior leadership positions at Hacettepe University. He served as Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine from 2001 to 2013, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine from 2006 to 2011, and Chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology from 2013 to 2024. In 2018, he became the Founding Director of the Hacettepe University Vaccine Institute, and from 2022 to 2024 he served as Vice Rector of Hacettepe University.
His research interests include antimicrobial resistance, healthcare-associated infections, HIV infection, adult immunization, molecular diagnostics of infectious diseases, infection prevention, and clinical epidemiology. He has authored hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific publications, numerous book chapters, and edited academic books. His work has been widely cited and has contributed substantially to advances in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology.
Professor Ünal has also played a prominent role in national and international scientific organizations. He is the Founding President of the Turkish Society for Hospital Infection Control, former President of the Turkish Society of Internal Medicine Specialists, and a member of the Board of the International Society of Chemotherapy. He is an active member of ESCMID, ISID, ASM, and IDSA, and has made significant contributions to international initiatives on adult immunization, antimicrobial stewardship, and infectious disease policy. He has also served in leading roles in the organization of major international congresses, including the European Congress of Internal Medicine.
Recipient of numerous national and international scientific awards, Professor Serhat Ünal is internationally recognized for his contributions to infectious diseases, HIV medicine, antimicrobial resistance, and adult vaccination. As a clinician, researcher, educator, and academic leader, he has trained generations of physicians while making lasting contributions to medical science, public health, and higher education.