Thriving on challenges: Gastroenterologist helps mold program into a crucial powerhouse
Atilla Ertan, MD, will be featured this spring by World Journal of Gastroenterology for his academic contributions. (Photo by David Sotelo/UTHealth Houston)
As a teenager in his native Turkey, Atilla Ertan, MD, spent every day after school in the hospital—but not for himself. “My younger sister had developed a heart problem and had to stay there,” he says. “When I went to see her, I always left impressed with the doctors.”
His mother envisioned him becoming a diplomat, and his father urged him to study engineering, but after volunteering with a physician during his summer vacations, he was hooked.
“Looking back, I’m very happy with the decision I made,” says Ertan, professor of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
Written by: John Evans | March 06, 2023