Dr. Berk was born on 19/06/1958 in Istanbul. Family moved to Diyarbakır from 1958 to 1969, where he completed primary school education. After returning back to Istanbul Dr. Berk went to English High School and graduated in 1977.
During his medical training at Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine he had the chance to do clinical clerkships in Switzerland and Denmark on Surgery and Orthopaedics, Anaesthesiology and Immunology and allergy. 1984-1985 were the years for governmental health service for him where he worked as a general practitioner in a rural health district in Artvin.
Hacettepe University years between 1986 and 1990 were residency training in Orthopaedics and Traumatology. He married to Tulin Baykal Ophthalmology resident whom he met during residency training in 1988. He completed residency training presenting thesis on pedobarography and the outcome of hallux valgus surgical treatment.
He received a “Chef de Clinic” position at Institute Calot, Berck Sur Mer France and where he worked for one year between October 1990 and September 1991. Meeting Dr Daniel Chopin changed his professional plans and focused on spine surgery.
In 1992 he started to work in Dokuz Eylül University. It was a new city, young University and a family of three! Although it was planned for a maximum of five years stay, it evidently turned out to be a full career.
He received AO-International Spine Surgery Fellowship in 1994 and visited Zürich University Hospital (Prof. O. Trentz) for 6 weeks and Basel University, Felix Platter Spital (Prof. E. Morcher and Prof. W. Dick) for 6 weeks. He also received European Spinal Deformity Society travelling fellowship and visited five countries (UK, Greece, France, Denmark and Sweden) 8 spine centres where he had the chance to meet and discuss spine cases with the well known European spine surgeons (J Dove, S Eisenstein, P Roussouly, D Chopin, G Sapkas, I Soucacos, C Bunger, A Ohlin), all of whom has later become a close friend.
In 1995, the family Berk went to Baylor College Houston Texas for a 6 months of visiting Fellowship.
He received best poster award in Eurospine Innsbruck meeting 1997 and The Scientific & Research Council of Turkey’s Technology Development award on “Spinal System” in 1977.
His professional memberships include: Turkish Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Turkish Spine Society (Served as general secretary, member at large), Turkish Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (1998-2000 member at large at ExCom), AO Alumni Turkey Founding member, AOSpineTR and Eurospine: The Spine Society of Europe, (2002-2004; 2006- member at large at the ExCom and Chair education Committee 2006-2007; Secretary 2009-2012; past Secretary 2013, President elect 2014, President 2015, Past President 2016), Scoliosis Research Society, (programme committee member 2010-2013, Translation committee 2014-2016, WWC 2015-2017), AO Spine.
Leadership activities include president of Turkish Board of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (2002-2004), Representative to UEMS-Ortho 2010-2015 and appointed delegate to UEMS- Multidisciplinary Joint Committee on Spine Surgery.
He is currently the deputy editor of Acta Ortopedica et Traumatologica Turcica and regularly reviews for Spine and journal of bone and Joint Surgery American.
