Institute Board Decisions

Institute Board (dated 29.12.2021, No. 2)

Decision 29/12/2021-02/11. The following decision, taken at the Institute Administrative Board meeting dated 18.11.2021 and numbered 48, was discussed: Decision 48/16 – It was unanimously decided that the issue of allowing three advisor preferences for graduate (Master’s/PhD) students of our Institute’s departments shall be discussed at the first Institute Board meeting. It was unanimously decided that this board decision would be implemented starting from newly registered graduate students in the 2021-2022 Spring Semester.

Decision 29/12/2021-02/12. The following decision, taken at the administrative board meeting dated 16.12.2021 and numbered 52, was discussed: Decision 52/21 – It was unanimously decided that, in order for the documents of students submitting thesis proposals at our Institute to be considered by the administrative board, it is mandatory for them to have taken the “Project Writing” course, and that this issue shall be discussed at the Institute Board. It was unanimously decided that the term “Project Writing Course” in the relevant administrative board decision would be replaced with “Project Writing Training,” and that this change would be implemented starting with newly registered PhD students in the 2021-2022 Spring Semester.

Decision 29/12/2021-02/13. The draft of Gazi University Graduate Student Advising Procedures and Principles was discussed in line with the feedback received from departments. It was unanimously decided that all feedback from our departments would be forwarded to the Education, Training, and External Relations Institution Coordination Office.

Decision 29/12/2021-02/14. The Institute Administrative Board decision numbered 52/22 was discussed: Decision 52/22 – It was unanimously decided that, starting from the 2021-2022 Spring Semester, in order to establish thesis defense committees for our PhD students, the relevant student must have at least one SCIE publication in their research area, and that this responsibility lies with the student. It was unanimously decided that this administrative board decision would be considered as an out-of-agenda item and discussed at the first Institute Board meeting.

Decision 29/12/2021-02/15. The issue of updating and informing about the Institute Board and Committees of the Health Sciences Institute was discussed. It was unanimously decided to update the Health Sciences Institute Board and Committees as presented in the attached document.

Although the decisions of the Health Sciences Institute Board, Gazi University Education Commission, and Gazi University Senate (dated 20.08.2021, No. 2021/204; and 01.11.2021, No. 2021/279), as well as the letters of the University Student Affairs Directorate (dated 26.11.2021, No. 224186; and 10.01.2022, No. 260300), did not request the establishment of the Department of Toxicology, according to the letter from the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) dated 31.12.2021, No. 253119, regarding the planned interdisciplinary Non-Thesis Master’s Program in Sports Pharmacy, it was decided that: Since the planned interdisciplinary program’s content and specialization areas are not connected to the Department of Toxicology, the Department of Toxicology will be closed, and an interdisciplinary Department of Sports Pharmacy will be established. Within this new department, the interdisciplinary Non-Thesis Master’s Program in Sports Pharmacy will be included. This document is signed with a secure electronic signature. Document Date and Number: 23.06.2022-E.393516. Similarly, based on the YÖK letter dated 25.11.2021, No. 223914, regarding the planned interdisciplinary Non-Thesis Master’s Program in Forensic Pharmacy, and given that the program’s content and specialization areas are not connected to the Department of Toxicology, it was unanimously decided to close the Department of Toxicology and establish an interdisciplinary Department of Forensic Pharmacy, under which the interdisciplinary Non-Thesis Master’s Program in Forensic Pharmacy will be included.

Decision 14.06.2022-02/02: At the Institute Board meeting dated 15.02.2022, the establishment of the R&D Team within the Health Sciences Institute’s Boards and Commissions was discussed as follows: Faculty members who wish to participate in this team are to submit a written request to their department chairs. Those faculty members who request to join will be added to the Health Sciences Institute R&D Team. This was unanimously approved.

Decision 03/05: The unit quality monitoring and evaluation processes within the scope of our University’s Institutional Accreditation were discussed. Prof. Dr. A. Gülçin SAĞDIÇOĞLU CELEP, Director of the Institute, who referred to Gazi University’s Institutional Accreditation program, also shared information regarding the Institute’s R&D team activities.  Prof. Dr. Aysel BERKKAN, Deputy Director responsible for the Institute’s Quality Processes, highlighted the need to update the information package and maintain the web page in the context of the studies and meetings included in the Gazi University Institutional Accreditation Program. She also shared information about creating the meeting schedules planned for the boards and commissions within the scope of Institutional Accreditation. Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Onur İNAM, Deputy Director of the Institute and Head of the Strategic Planning Team, provided information about the updated 2019–2023 Strategic Plan and the activities of the strategic planning team. He emphasized that the content of the conferences and seminars planned to be held in the new term within the Institute will be determined according to the requests received from the departments.

Decision 22/05/2024-01/07

The "ORPHEUS Supervision Workshop on PhD Education in Biomedicine & Health Sciences," conducted on May 3, 2024, from 09:00 to 17:30 in three separate conference halls in a hybrid format, was carried out with the active participation of our faculty members and students and proved to be highly productive.

The following ORPHEUS representatives attended the workshop:

• Prof. Janet Carton, Vice President (University College Dublin, Ireland)

• Prof. Rudolf Schubert, Board Member (University of Augsburg, Germany)

• Prof. Michael Mulvany, Chair of the ORPHEUS Label Committee (Aarhus University, Denmark)

• Prof. Gül Güner-Akdogan, Label Committee Member (Izmir University of Economics, Turkey)

It was noted that, along with the attached publication requirements, our intention to apply for the ORPHEUS Label will be submitted. Subsequently, an international team will visit our university and meet with faculty, administrative staff, and alumni over two days to discuss the relevant publication requirements.

Application Stages:

1. ORPHEUS Certificate

   • Gazi University

   • Acıbadem University

2. ORPHEUS Label

   • Dokuz Eylül University

   • Hacettepe University

   • Kocaeli University

Graduation Requirements – Health Sciences Institute

A. For Master’s Programs (with Thesis):
To graduate, students must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements within their thesis:

• One publication accepted or published in national* or international** journals

• Oral presentation at international congresses/symposia*** where the student is the first author

• National/international patent or utility model application related to the thesis that has reached the review stage

* TR Dizin
** Q1 or Q2 journals
*** Recognized as international by the University Executive Board

B. For Doctoral Programs under the ORPHEUS Label:
To form the doctoral thesis defense jury, students must meet at least one of the following criteria:

B.1. At least one research article, prepared with the advisor and with the student as the first author, published or accepted in Q1 journals indexed in SCI-Expanded, SSCI, or AHCI.

B.2. At least one research article published or accepted in Q2 journals (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, or AHCI) with the student as the first author, plus one article submitted for review.

B.3. At least one article related to the thesis with the student as first author, published or accepted in SCI-Expanded, SSCI, or AHCI journals, or journals indexed in lists determined by the Institute Board for a two-year period, or an article submitted for review.

• If a national/international patent or utility model application exists, a publication outside Q1 can be accepted as equivalent.

It is proposed that if ORPHEUS approves, the requirement for three articles in B3 could be considered equivalent if all other B3 criteria are met.

Proposals and Recommendations Regarding the Draft Regulations

Gazi University Doctoral Education Regulations, Article 6:

• Retired faculty members may continue supervising students if requested by both the student and faculty member, provided the student has passed the proficiency exam, and at least one TİK report and TÖK approval are obtained, until thesis completion with Institute Board approval.

• Student quotas for graduate programs are determined considering the faculty members’ capacity for supervision and student workload.

• Faculty members cannot serve as advisors, co-advisors, jury members, or thesis committee members if a first-degree family relationship exists with the student.

Requirements for Faculty Advisors – Health Sciences Institute:

A. For Thesis-based Master’s and Doctoral Students:
Faculty must meet all criteria A1, A2, A4, and A5, and at least one criterion in A3:

• A1: Have taught at least one graduate-level course (excluding seminars, thesis preparation, and thesis research) in the last two years in the Institute’s programs.

• A2: For all thesis-based master’s programs, have at least one original article published/accepted in Web of Science-indexed journals or journals approved by the Gazi University Senate in the last two years.

• A3: For all doctoral programs:

  • Must have supervised at least one master’s thesis (except in medical, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary faculties, or laboratory specialties recognized by the Ministry of Health).

  • Have at least one original article published/accepted in SCI-Expanded, SSCI, or AHCI journals in the last two years, or at least one book/book chapter, or have participated in national/international projects, patents, or utility model applications.

• A4: Complete the "Advisor Training" provided by the Institute.

• A5: Sign the Advisor Agreement within one month of appointment.

B. For Non-thesis Master’s Programs:
No publication requirement is imposed for advisors.

Recommendation:
If an unforeseen situation arises not covered in the existing conditions, the decision of the Institute Board shall be considered final.