Dr Seref Komurçu - Medical Oncologist, Gulhane Military Academy: interviewed by Amanda Bingley, 18 April 2005
Duration of interview: 35 minutes

Seref Komurçu talks about his education as a fellow in the US at the Cleveland Clinic and in the palliative care department. Since his return 8 years ago, he has been developing and teaching palliative care in his oncology unit.

Dr Deniz Yamac - Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology, Gazi University Hospital: interviewed by Amanda Bingley, 6 July 2005
Duration of interview: 45 minutes.

Deniz Yamac, who specialises in breast cancer, head and neck cancer, talks about her growing interest in palliative care since 1995, when she trained in Medical Oncology at Arkansas Cancer Institute, USA. She explains that after some years in oncology she realised she had to know about palliative care and set about studying on her own. She offers palliation to her own patients at the end of life, and advises colleagues about palliation for their patients. She is actively developing palliative care training in the oncology unit, and with medical students in the university medical school. She is taking part in a project to train general nurses in home care.

Professor Serdar Erdine - Chair of Algology, Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine: interviewed by Amanda Bingley, 11 July 2005
Duration of interview 36 minutes

Serdar Erdine talks about his work developing pain management and seeing a pain or algology specialty recognised. He also describes the current attitudes towards palliation in Turkey, and his campaign to raise public awareness of the efficacy of cancer pain relief; to alleviate fears of opioids; and to educate physicians in opioid use.