Past Event
Mona & Philip Sunshine Prostate Cancer Symposium
Saturday, October 4, 2025
RMK AIMES Surgical Training Center & Koç University Hospital, Istanbul
The 2025 Mona & Philip Sunshine Prostate Cancer Symposium — the third annual meeting and the first to bear its full dedicatory name following Philip Sunshine's passing in January 2025 — was held on October 4, 2025, at Koç University Hospital and the RMK AIMES Surgical Training Center in Istanbul.
The symposium focused on the diagnosis and multi-disciplinary management of prostate cancer, featuring live robotic surgeries performed with state-of-the-art Intuitive da Vinci and Medtronic Hugo robotic systems. Prof. Derya Balbay performed a robotic prostate cancer surgery with the Medtronic Hugo RAS system, and Prof. Burak Koçak performed a live robotic kidney transplantation with the Intuitive da Vinci Xi robotic system.
As Koç University Hospital is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Dr. Derek J. Lomas (Department of Urology, Minnesota) and Dr. Winston Tan (Department of Medical Oncology, Florida) from Mayo Clinic enriched the event by joining via online presentations. In addition to participants from Türkiye, the symposium welcomed attendees from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Serbia, Mongolia, Kosovo, Georgia, Iran, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
2025 marked a landmark achievement for the program: the Mona & Philip Sunshine Symposium welcomed a resident physician from Koç University Hospital to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for a fully funded year-long fellowship — a commitment made possible through Emory's support and reflecting the long-term dedication of both institutions to nurturing future leaders in oncology.
Program
Speakers
Dr. A. Erdem Canda
Koç University Hospital, Department of Urology, Istanbul
Dr. Barış Esen
Emory University School of Medicine · Koç University School of Medicine
Dr. Ceyda Açılan Ayhan
Koç University School of Medicine, Department of Basic Sciences, Medical Biology, Istanbul
Dr. Deniz Tural
Koç University Hospital, Department of Medical Oncology, Istanbul, TR
Dr. Derya Tilki
Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany · Koç University Hospital, Department of Urology, Istanbul, TR
Derek J. Lomas, MD
Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, USA
Dr. M. Derya Balbay
Koç University Hospital · VKF American Hospital, Department of Urology, Istanbul, TR
Martin G. Sanda, MD
Emory University School of Medicine · Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, USA
Mehmet Asim Bilen, MD
Emory University School of Medicine · Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, USA
Dr. Omer Kucuk
Professor of Hematology-Oncology and Urology · Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Mohammad Hajiha, MD
Emory University School of Medicine, USA
Nikhil Sebastian, MD
Emory University School of Medicine, USA
Dr. Nil Molinas Mandel
Koç University Hospital · VKF American Hospital, Department of Medical Oncology, Istanbul, TR
Sona Azamat, PhD
Emory University School of Medicine, USA
Shreyas S. Joshi, MD, MPH
Emory University School of Medicine, USA
Dr. Tarık Esen
Koç University Hospital · VKF American Hospital, Department of Urology, Istanbul, TR
Dr. Uğur Selek
Koç University Hospital · VKF American Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, Istanbul, TR
Vikram M. Narayan, MD
Emory University School of Medicine · Grady Memorial Hospital, USA
Winston Tan, MD
Mayo Clinic, Florida, USA
Dr. Yakup Kordan
Koç University Hospital, Department of Urology, Istanbul, TR
Gallery
Photos
