FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF TURKEY'S HIGHER EDUCATION BOARD PASSES AWAY

Dogramaci, who had been under treatment at Hacettepe University Hospital's intensive care unit since November 2009, lost his life due to "multiple organ failure".
Professor Ihsan Dogramaci, born in Irbil, Iraq in 1915, was an Iraqi Turkmen pediatric physician, an academic and an international leader of development.
He was the founder of Bilkent University, a leading private university in Ankara, Turkey, and he had been the first President and the Chairman of its Board of Trustees since 1985. He was the founding President of Higher Board of Education of Turkey (YOK) from 1981 until 1992.
He established the Hacettepe University in 1967, which is now one of the best state universities in Turkey in medicine-related areas. He also chaired the Board of Trustees in Middle East Technical University in 1965 and held the rector position in Ankara University in 1963.
Dogramaci was the founder Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, London and had been an Honorary Scientific Advisor to the International Centre for Childhood Studies in England since 1982.
He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Heart International since 1981 and had been the Honorary President of International Pediatric Association (IPA) since 1992.
He signed the World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution in New York in July 1946 and acted as the organization's Vice President in 1976 and a member of Executive Board between 1976 and 1982.
He had been a member of the UNICEF Executive Board (1959-1985) and was elected Chairman of the Board for two terms. He had been the President of Turkish National Committee for UNICEF (1958-2003).
Dogramaci, who was married with three children, 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.