Naz Berfu Akbaş

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Naz Berfu Akbaş serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yeditepe University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul. With over 18 years of academic service since her 2006 appointment, she maintains active roles in clinical psychiatry, research, and medical education while holding concurrent hospital positions at Kadıköy Şifa and Istanbul Medipol Hospitals.

Academic Background:

• M.D. from Marmara University Faculty of Medicine (English Program), 1990-1996
• Psychiatry Specialization at Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, 1997-2002 (Thesis: Depression Symptoms and Relation With Lesion Laterality in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients With Hippocampal Sclerosis)

Research Focus: Dr. Akbaş's work bridges clinical psychiatry with physical medicine, emphasizing mood disorders in neurological/cardiovascular contexts, sexual dysfunction etiology and treatment, and psychosomatic interfaces. Her neuropsychiatric research explores depression-epilepsy relationships and cardiac-psychiatric comorbidities, while sexual medicine studies investigate vaginismus, dyspareunia, and medication-induced sexual side effects. Methodologically, she integrates psychometric validation, clinical trials, and cross-cultural epidemiological approaches.

Publication Trends: Recent publications (2010-2018) demonstrate evolving specialization toward digital psychiatry (suicidal ideation detection algorithms), reproductive psychopharmacology (antidepressant effects on bone/semen parameters), and culture-specific mental health (post-career motherhood experiences in Turkish upper-middle-class women). Over 60% of her SCI-indexed work examines psychiatric manifestations in physical illnesses, reflecting her psychosomatic medicine expertise.

Awards & Recognition:

• Özenli Türkçe Dalında Birincilik Ödülü (Elegant Turkish Category First Prize) from Turkish Neurology Association
• Research Award from Turkish Endocrinology and Metabolism Association for bone turnover/depression study

Mentorship & Funding: Currently supervising three master's theses on sexual satisfaction, vaginismus, and perfectionism dynamics. Serves as consultant for TÜBİTAK-funded project investigating CXCR4 receptor levels in depression patients' T lymphocytes. Regularly teaches 8+ English-taught psychiatry courses including Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Sexual Function Disorders. Her CETAD board membership since 2011 underscores leadership in sexual therapy education.

Professional Integration: Maintains dual clinical-academic practice through Turkish Psychiatric Association membership (since 2002) and active hospital affiliations, ensuring research remains grounded in real-world patient care challenges across neurological, cardiovascular, and reproductive health domains.