Medical, Culture and Art Symposium to Begin in Ankara on Tuesday
Ankara, January 11 – The ‘Medical, From Past to Present, Traditional to Digital, From Nature to Space Culture and Art Symposium,’ which aims to illuminate historical medical culture and explore the healing power of art, will begin on Tuesday in Ankara.
Organized by the Presidency’s Culture and Art Policies Board and the Ministry of Health, the symposium will take place on January 13-14 in the capital, with the participation of First Lady Emine Erdoğan.
Opening Ceremony and Speakers
The opening of the symposium, to be held at the Presidential Complex Millet Library Conference Hall, will feature speeches by Emine Erdoğan, Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu, and Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Culture and Art Policies Board, Prof. Dr. İskender Pala.
The Presidential Culture and Art Policies Board had previously decided to organize 11 separate symposiums throughout the year with 11 ministries, aiming to elevate the perception of culture and art within both society and bureaucracy. The first symposium was held with the Ministry of Family and Social Services due to 2025 being declared the ‘Year of the Family.’
Symposium Focus and Sessions
This second installment of the symposium series, the ‘Medical, From Past to Present, Traditional to Digital, From Nature to Space Culture and Art Symposium,’ seeks to integrate humanity, culture, and art into the essence of health.
Sessions at the symposium will cover topics such as ‘Cultural Foundations of Medicine and Healing Spaces,’ ‘Turkish Medicine and Art,’ ‘Future of Healing: Human, Technology, and Holistic Health,’ ‘Wisdom of Nature,’ ‘Human and Artistic Dimension of Healing: Narratives, Meaning, and Recovery,’ and ‘Rhythm of Healing: Art Therapy and Well-being in the Workplace.’
Speakers, including Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Aydın, Prof. Dr. Necdet Ünüvar, and Prof. Dr. Sinan Canan, are expected to contribute to a national understanding of medicine. Each session will feature academics and bureaucrats who are experts in their fields and known for their interdisciplinary work, approaching the field of medicine from diverse perspectives.
The symposium will offer a multifaceted view, ranging from the healing resources of Anatolia’s rich geography to the historical healing centers (darüşşifa) of Turkish medicine, and from the support given to art by Ministers of Health to health museums.
Art Therapy in the Workplace and Digital Medicine
For the first time at a ministerial level, the symposium will address the integration of art therapy into workplaces, particularly in sectors with high trauma and risk, enabling rehabilitation. This will involve evaluating healing through art, starting from music – a fundamental element of Turkish healing culture – and extending to contemporary art.
Other topics to be discussed include the traditional and digital dimensions of medicine in today’s era of artificial intelligence, rethinking the Hippocratic Oath, and maintaining humanity in the digital age.
Additionally, an exhibition will be opened as part of the symposium, showcasing the female founders who established darüşşifas in Anatolian Seljuk and Ottoman medical history.
Source: Anadolu Agency
