Born: 1978, Aydın

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ümit Özçelik graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. He completed his General Surgery residency at Başkent University and has participated in numerous organ transplant operations for over 20 years, primarily focusing on kidney and liver transplants.

He is an expert in pediatric organ transplantation and advanced hepatobiliary surgery. Currently, he serves as a faculty member at Lokman Hekim University Faculty of Medicine and as the Head of the Organ Transplantation Center.

Dr. Özçelik has authored over 30 national and international scientific publications and received more than 400 citations in academic literature.

Chimerism is the presence of cell groups with different genetic makeups within the same individual. Its inspiration comes from the mythological being Chimera—whose name in Greek means “female goat”—a composite creature formed from different animals.

Acquired chimerism may arise after organ and blood transplantation, stem cell therapies, or from unusual fusions during the fertilization process, and it can be temporary or permanent.

This phenomenon is regarded as one of the historical foundations of the idea of organ transplantation.