Kemal AYDINALP

Prof. Dr. Kemal Aydınalp (1930-2024) was a pioneering academic and clinician in the field of Turkish child and adolescent psychiatry.

Who is Kemal Aydınalp?

Born on November 24, 1930, Kemal Aydınalp completed his medical education at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. During his military service, while serving as a physician in the War School Regiment, he gained his first experience in psychiatry by working as an honorary assistant at Ankara University Psychiatry Clinic for a year and a half. Between 1959 and 1962, he completed his residency training at the Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) Psychiatry Clinic and obtained his specialty title. During this period, he had the opportunity to experience the discipline of military medicine and the subtleties of psychiatry together.

From 1963 until his retirement in 1988, he worked at GATA Psychiatry Clinic in various positions such as chief assistant, consultant specialist, associate professor, professor and head of the department. He received the title of associate professor in 1967, which was an important step in his academic career. He then worked as a clinical assistant at the Maudsley Institute of Psychiatry in London in 1968-1969, where he received in-depth training in general and child psychiatry. This experience further cemented his interest in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.

After returning to Turkey, he established the Child Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic at the GATA Psychiatry Clinic and intensified his work in this field. In 1973, he received the title of Pediatric Mental Health and Diseases Specialist. In the same year, he and Prof. Dr. Mualla Öztürk started the annual Child Psychiatry Seminars, which contributed greatly to the development of the field of child psychiatry in Ankara and throughout Turkey. These seminars paved the way for the training of valuable academicians at the international level.

In addition to his academic work, he continued to provide services in his private practice, which he opened in 1972. This gave him the opportunity to share his academic knowledge and clinical experience with a wider patient base.

Impact and Legacy

Prof. Dr. Kemal Aydınalp has played a pioneering role in the development of the field of child and adolescent psychiatry in Turkey. The Child Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic he established at GATA and the seminars he organized have made significant contributions to increasing education and awareness in this field. In particular, his work on children's mental health had a great impact on laying the foundations of the discipline of child psychiatry in Turkey.

Aydınalp, who is remembered with respect and affection by his students and colleagues, contributed to the training of many specialists not only as a physician and academician but also as a mentor. His vision and work helped raise the standards of child and adolescent mental health services in Turkey.