Yüksel Ürün, Professor of Medical Oncology at Ankara University, shared on X:
“Being a professor does not automatically mean being a better physician.
An oncology specialist is an oncologist who has completed their specialty training.
Professorship, on the other hand, signifies something else: an academic career, scientific output, education, and mentorship.
Clinical competence is shaped by experience, up-to-date knowledge, decision quality, teamwork, communication, and patient outcomes. An academic title also finds its truest meaning within the academic role.
Transforming it into a marker of superiority in commercial, professional, or social spheres is an injustice to both the title and the expertise.
While valuing the academic title, we must not devalue expertise.
Expertise speaks to competence at the bedside, while the title reflects responsibility in academia. When we conflate the two, we diminish both…
Perhaps we’re asking the wrong question: Instead of ‘What title do they hold?’ ‘How skilled are they in this disease and how do they approach their patient?’
Knowledge matters.
Experience matters.
Staying current matters.
But listening, speaking honestly about uncertainty, working within a team, and consulting another expert when needed are also part of being a physician.
Because a good health system doesn’t need just a few big names – it needs reliable expertise everywhere…”
Other articles featuring Yüksel Ürün on OncoDaily.