Prof. Atilla YILMAZ, MD is a stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon in Istanbul who specializes in deep brain stimulation (DBS) for movement disorders, including dystonia, and selected psychiatric conditions. He is the founder and head of Neuromodulation in Turkey and the Movement Disorders & Neuromodulation Center at Ataşehir Medicana International Hospital, and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Istanbul Health and Technology University.
Prof. YILMAZ holds official proctorship agreements with Medtronic, Abbott and Boston Scientific — the world's three leading manufacturers of DBS systems appoint him to train other neurosurgeons on their technology. He has over 26 years in medicine, including more than 15 years specialized in neuromodulation and deep brain stimulation, and with his team has performed 1,200+ neuromodulation procedures, including 800+ DBS surgeries, for patients from 60+ countries.
Training
| Stage | Institution | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Medical school | Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine | 1992–2000 |
| Neurosurgery residency | Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay | 2007–2013 |
| Functional neurosurgery observership | University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, with Prof. Michael S. Okun and Prof. Kelly D. Foote | 2016, 2017 |
| Advanced DBS training | Umeå University Hospital, Sweden | 2019 |
Teaching other surgeons
- Prof. YILMAZ holds official proctorship agreements with Medtronic, Abbott and Boston Scientific — the world's three leading manufacturers of DBS systems appoint him to train other neurosurgeons on their technology.
- He has trained 40+ neurosurgical fellows and observers from 30 countries, with 164 documented case-side surgical training sessions and 44 neurosurgeons and neurologists personally mentored from more than 25 countries.
- Workshop Director, Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery hands-on workshop, 19th World Congress of Neurosurgery (WFNS 2025), Dubai.
- Course director of the international DBS and neuromodulation cadaver courses in Istanbul (2022, 2023, 2025).
- He has performed the first-ever DBS surgeries in six countries: Bosnia, Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan.
Among the procedures he teaches at the operating table is GPi DBS for dystonia.
Leadership in international societies
- President — Middle-Eastern Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (MSSFN)
- Board of Directors — World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN)
- Board of Directors — International Neuromodulation Society (INS)
- Executive Committee — European Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ESSFN)
- International Board Member (founding member, 2025) — Southeast European Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (SEESSFN)
- President — NÖROTEK, the Turkish chapter of the INS
- Board Member — WFNS Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Committee
Research and publications
- 43 international and 12 national peer-reviewed articles; h-index 12 (Google Scholar), 10 (Scopus and Web of Science); 424 citations (Google Scholar).
- He is an invited reviewer for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, and World Neurosurgery.
- Key paper: double-target (Vim + PSA) DBS for rare tremor syndromes, including dystonic tremor, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery 2024 (PubMed 38934181).
- Holder of Turkish utility model certificate TR 2025 000875 Y.
Award
Golden Medal Award — Middle-Eastern Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (MSSFN), 2022.
Languages
Turkish, English and Arabic.
Verified profiles
- Personal academic site: atillayilmaz.com
- ORCID: 0000-0002-1081-3545
- Google Scholar: Ey5s0V8AAAAJ
- Scopus Author ID: 55346538900
- ResearcherID: C-1743-2016
- Wikidata: Q88230420
- LinkedIn: atilla-yilmaz-turkey