Prof. Dr. Nurullah Okumuş was born in Çine, Aydın in 1972. He graduated from Hacettepe University in 1995 and became a Pediatrician at Ankara Dr. Sami Ulus Women's, Obstetrics, Child Health and Diseases Hospital in 2000. In 2005, Okumuş became a neonatology specialist at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine. In 2006, he worked as an observer doctor in the neonatology department at Texas Children's Hospital (Houston, USA). Dr. Okumuş was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010 and Professor at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University in 2015.
Prof. Dr. Okumuş has published over 150 scientific articles in his field, 121 of which are in international peer-reviewed journals and 33 in national peer-reviewed journals. He has delivered over 10 invited presentations at international scientific conferences and over 50 presentations at national scientific conferences. Prof. Dr. Okumuş also has numerous papers at the national and international levels. Dr. Okumuş has served as a translation editor for 2 books in his field and as a chapter author for 3 books, and he has also edited two of the books for which he was a chapter author.
Prof. Dr. Okumuş, who holds numerous educational certificates in his field, received the "Wyeth, XV. Medical Research Award, Observational Research Group, 1st Place Award,“ the ”Turkish Neonatology Association, Best Research Award in the Field of Neonatology“ three times in 2010, 2014, and 2015, and the ”The International Neonatology Association Conference (INAC), Oral Presentation Award" in 2014.
Prof. Dr. Nurullah Okumuş served as Chief Physician and Hospital Administrator at Dr. Sami Ulus Women's, Obstetrics, and Children's Health Education and Research Hospital from 2011 to 2016. He spearheaded efforts to establish the hospital as one of the leading institutions in Turkey for children's health and diseases, particularly ensuring that the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit provided services at the level of developed countries. He actively participated in a project (animal therapy) involving the rehabilitation and treatment of hospitalized children with the help of dogs, in collaboration with the search and rescue team of the Gendarmerie General Command, with the aim of boosting the morale of child patients, distracting them to alleviate their pain, assisting in their treatment, and instilling a love for animals in them. Additionally, the hospital developed and implemented music and storytelling therapy projects in collaboration with Gazi University.
Prof. Dr. Nurullah Okumuş served as Director General of Health Services from 2016 to 2017. As Director General of Health Services, he served as a member of the Medical and Dental Specialization Board, the Pharmacy Specialization Board, the YÖK Quality Board, and the Health Professions Board. He participated in the planning efforts for the second phase of healthcare transformation. He was involved in numerous projects, including spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) screening, BAHAR, USES, TÜRKÖK, and genetic diseases. He collaborated with YÖK, the Ministry of National Education, and ÖSYM on the educational curricula, needs assessments, and job deions for healthcare professionals.
Prof. Dr. Okumuş, founder and president of the Premature Baby Coalition (PremaTürk), has been a member of the management and advisory boards of the Turkish National Pediatric Association since 2014 and a member of the board of directors of the Turkish Neonatology Association since 2016. Prof. Dr. Okumuş served as a member of the High Health Council between 2015 and 2018 and as the representative of the Ministry of Health on the Advertising Board of the Ministry of Trade between 2016 and 2018. While serving as a member of the Health Policies Board of the Ministry of Health, In 2018, he was appointed as Rector of Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University. Appointed as Deputy Minister of Health by Presidential Decree No. 2025/247 dated July 11, 2025, he is married with children, and he speaks English.
