İhsan Doğramacı

İhsan Doğramacı (3 April 1915 – 25 February 2010) was a Turkish paediatrician, entrepreneur, philanthropist, educationalist and college administrator of Iraqi Turkmen descent born in today's Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq then Ottoman Empire.

Doğramacı was a pediatric physician and an international leader of development.

He signed the WHO Constitution in New York City, July 1946 (he was the last living signatory).

After a rapid rise in academia, Doğramacı became a Professor of pediatrics in 1955.

In the same year, Doğramacı founded The Child Health Department affiliated with Ankara University Medical School.

He had been the president of the Turkish National Committee for UNICEF (1958–2003).

He was a major financial charitable contributor to the UNICEF co-sponsored Turkish educational community campaign "Let's Go to School, Girls".

İhsan Doğramacı matured in the secular Turkey of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

This was a political environment that Doğramacı endeavored to help develop, with his focus being medicine and child health.

He also saw higher education as a parallel concern.

He set out on the path to reform these fields, a path filled with obstacles of bureaucratic, legal and self-interested opposition by several circles.

Sir Horace Phillips described him in his book: 'This is a likable man, emphatic in manner, but gentle with it; sometimes intolerant of those who do not share his ideals.

But he has not been spoiled by his achievements.'

In 1958 the Child Health Institute and Hospital started to serve the community as well as its researches and education.

He had been a member of the UNICEF Executive Board (1959–1985), and he was elected as chairman of the board for two terms.

In 1961 School of Health Sciences was founded as the first instance of school healthcare science in Turkey.

He chaired the board of trustees in Middle East Technical University in 1965 and held the rector position in Ankara University in 1963 and several other universities in Turkey.

Subsequent to the establishment of some other departments such as dentistry, home economics the institute became another higher education center affiliated with Ankara University Medical School, and thus in 1967, the Hacettepe University was founded officially.

After the establishment of some other departments under Hacettepe University, a need for a larger educational building complex aroused.

İhsan Doğramacı endowed a considerable amount to foundations named Hacettepe Education Foundation and Hacettepe Health Foundation.

Thanks to these donations the new campus for Hacettepe University was built rapidly.

Presently, Hacettepe University is one of the best state universities in Turkey in medicine-related areas.

After the legislation allowing the establishment of private universities in Turkey upon Doğramacı's request and effort, he began his searches to found a private, campus university.

He was a member of the Board (1970–1984) of the International Children's Centre in Paris, and he had been a member of the Board of Regents of the International Association for Humanitarian Medicine since 2000.

He was the vice president in 1976 and a member of the executive board between 1976 and 1982.

He had been a member of many child health-related programs and groups in WHO.

Doğramacı was a member of the Board of Trustees of Heart International in 1981.

Doğramacı was the founding president of the Council of Higher Education of Turkey (YÖK) from 1981 until 1992.

He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, London and has been an Honorary Scientific Advisor to the International Centre for Childhood Studies in England since 1982.

Afterward, in 1984 between Middle East Technical University and Hacettepe University campuses, the first private university of Turkey, Bilkent University was founded.

Doğramacı founded some industrial companies such as Tepe construction to build educational buildings and to provide financial support for the university as well.

All the companies incorporated under Bilkent Holding are now one of the major corporate groups of Turkey.

He was the founder of Bilkent University, a leading private university and Hacettepe University, one of the overall highly ranked universities in Turkey which specializes in medical sciences in Ankara, Turkey, chairman of the UNICEF executive board, founding president of the Council of Higher Education of Turkey (YÖK), executive director and president of International Pediatric Association (IPA), co-ratifier of WHO's constitution, and he had been the first president and the chairman of its board of trustees in WHO (World Health Organization) since 1985.

He was offered national political leadership positions such as ministry of foreign affairs and premiership by Cemal Gürsel and Süleyman Demirel, both of which he declined.

Doğramacı spoke Turkish, English, French, German, Arabic and Persian.

He authored over 100 scientific articles, three books, six book chapters and served as the editor of four medical journals.

He had been the honorary president of the International Pediatric Association (IPA) since 1992 and was the president of IPA between 1968 and 1977 and the executive director between 1977 and 1993.

He was the president of IPA/UNICEF/WHO/FIGO/UNFPA Task Force (1997–1998).

İhsan Doğramacı co-founded the Assembly of the Parliament of Cultures with Prince Hassan of Jordan and joined members from many nations in Ankara in 2004.

The purpose of the Foundation is to promote and strengthen international and intercultural understanding among different cultures in the world and to enhance dialogue between their thinkers and intellectuals by means of peaceful dialogue.