Simsek CV - October 2019.

Education
Bahadir Simsek
MD Student at Istanbul University, Turkey
Email: bahadirsimsekk@gmail.com
2015 – Present: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical School (English Program) – Istanbul, Turkey
(Expected graduation July 2021), cGPA: 3.72/4.00
2014 – 2015: Istanbul University, English Preparatory School – Istanbul, Turkey
2010 – 2014: Yalova High School for Science, cGPA: 95.92/100 – Yalova, Turkey
Highest honors (cGPA > 3.5), Cerrahpasa Medical School (January 2016, June 2016, January 2017,
June 2017, January 2018, June 2018, January 2019, June 2019).
Best scores in both steps of the national university admission examinations in the history of my
high school and in the history of the city where I am from.
Medical School Admission Examination STEP 1: Ranked 82 nd in around 2 million.
Medical School Admission Examination STEP 2: Ranked 88 th in around 1 million.
Ranked 1 st in citywide high school quiz show.
Best scores in the nation-wide High School Admission Examinations in the school.
Seven chess medals, 4th middle school student in chess in a 2 million city.
United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)
Step 1: 264 (August 27 th , 2019)
Extracurricular research experience
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Division of Cardiology, Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Center of Excellence, San Francisco, CA, USA
June 10, 2018 – September 2, 2018
Under the guidance of Drs. M. Roselle Abraham and Junaid Afzal, I developed an
echocardiography protocol in mice to detect differences in cardiac contractility in vivo with high
accuracy and precision.
Independently performed transthoracic echocardiography on hundreds of mice under tightly
controlled isoflurane (parasternal long-short axes, B & M modes, apical 2C & 4C), analyzed the
ECHO results, presented with statistical analyses, and write-up for the manuscripts.
Cannulated one of the tail veins of about 200 mice, ranging from 10 gr to 50 gr.
Swam wild and mutant mice to observe effects of exercise on HCM physiology.
PI: M. Roselle Abraham, MD
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation
Laboratory (VCA Lab), Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Baltimore, MD, USA
January 12, 2018 – February 11, 2018
Improved my understanding of immunology and transplantation.
Learned about a novel cardiac transplantation model in mice and analyzed
echocardiography data.
Learned more about American medicine and culture.

PI: Gerald Brandacher, MD
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Center of Excellence, Baltimore, MD, USA
June 8, 2017 – September 15, 2017
Assisted in transthoracic echocardiography in mice, analyzed the data.
Swam wild and mutant mice to observe effects of exercise on HCM physiology.
Mouse handling-surgery, intraperitoneal injection of 100 mice, twice a day, 7 days a week for 2
months.
PI: M. Roselle Abraham MD
Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul,
Turkey
March 2015 – Present
Write manuscripts, perform statistical analyses, prepare figures, tables and submit research papers.
PI: Ufuk Cakatay, PhD
Publications
1- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mice - contractile reserve (Research article, in preparation)
2- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mice metabolomics under dobutamine (Research article, in
preparation)
3- Swimming improves hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in mice (Research article, in preparation)
4- 13 week vs 17 week hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mice, iPSC (Research article, in preparation)
5- Liu Y, Afzal J, Simsek B, Luo Y, Li Zhao, Olgin J, Das S, Fukunaga R, Abraham MR. Redox
regulation of pro-fibrotic gene expression in cardiac myocytes is mediated by microRNA-29.
(Research article, under review)
6- Dag AD, Yanar K, Simsek B, Atayik MC, Belce A, Cakatay U. Could early-adulthood caloric
restriction be beneficial to improve renal redox homeostasis as future anti-aging strategy in male
Sprague-Dawley rats? (Research article, under review)
7- Simsek B, Yanar K, Cakatay U. Proatherogenic importance of carbamylation-induced protein
damage in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A mini review (Review article, under review)
8- Simsek B, Cakatay U. Could cyanogenic glycoside rich diet cause increased risk for carbamylationinduced
protein damage in individuals with chronic inflammatory diseases? Med Hypotheses. 2019
Sep;130:109275. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109275. Epub 2019 Jun 11.
9- Yanar K, Simsek B, Atukeren P, Aydin S, Cakatay U. D-galactose administration impairs the redox
homeostasis in male Sprague-Dawley rat soleus and gastrocnemius muscle. Rejuvenation Res. 2019
May 26. doi: 10.1089/rej.2019.2185. Epub ahead of print
10- Simsek B, Cakatay U. Could ornithine supplementation be beneficial to prevent the formation of proatherogenic
carbamylated low-density lipoprotein (c-LDL) particles? Med Hypotheses. 2019

May;126:20-22. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.03.004. Epub 2019 Mar 9.
11- Simsek B, Cakatay U. “The significance of Vitamin D status in elderly patients with systemic arterial
hypertension” titled chapter in e-book titled “Frontiers in Hypertension” (Book chapter)
12- Yanar K, Simsek B, Cakatay U. Integration of melatonin related redox homeostasis, aging and
circadian rhythm. Rejuvenation Res. 2019 Feb 4. doi: 10.1089/rej.2018.2159. Epub ahead of print
13- Simsek B, Yanar K, Kansu AD, Belce A, Aydin S, Cakatay U. Caloric restriction improves the redox
homeostasis in the aging male rat heart even when started in middle-adulthood and when the body
weight is stable. Biogerontology. 2019 Feb;20(1):127-140. doi: 10.1007/s10522-018-9781-5. Epub
2018 Oct 29.
14- Yanar K, Simsek B, Cayli N, Bozkir HO, Mengi M, Belce A, Aydin, S, Cakatay U. Caloric restriction
and redox homeostasis in various regions of aging rat brain: Is caloric restriction still worth trying
even after early-adulthood? J Food Biochem. 2019; 43:e12740. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.12740
15- Simsek B. Does country of origin matter for finding research internships in the United States? Anatol
J Cardiol. 2018 Oct; 20(4): 254–255. doi: 10.14744/AnatolJCardiol.2018.50024
16- Yanar K, Aydin S, Simsek B, Yaylim I, Turan S, Sitar ME, Cacina C, Kucukhuseyin O, Tuten A,
Cakatay U, Benian A. Relationship between intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)
Lys469Glu polymorphism, systemic redox homeostasis level and gestational diabetes mellitus in
pregnant women. Can J Diabetes. 2019 Apr;43(3):173-178.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2018.07.003.
Epub 2018 Aug 2.
17- Mol R, Kansu AD, Cebe T, Yildiz S, Butun VK, Simsek B, Cakatay U. High versus moderate dosage
of daily and weekly administration of Vitamin D supplements in the form of oil drop in nursing home
residents. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2018 Aug;28(8):618-622. doi: 10.29271/jcpsp.2018.08.618.
18- Aydin S, Yanar K, Simsek B, Cebe T, Sitar ME, Belce A, Cakatay U. Galactose-induced aging model
in rat testicular tissue. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2018 Jul;28(7):501-504. doi:
10.29271/jcpsp.2018.07.501.
19- Simsek B, Cakatay U. Vitamin D supplementation, polypharmacy and
cardiovascular health in elderly. Edorium J Aging Res 2017;2:1–3.
Presentations
1- “Community acquired pneumonia in adults” 10 min. oral presentation, Department of Family
Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2019
2- “Echocardiographic measurement of contractile reserve in Casq2 E39K mouse model” 10 min. oral
presentation, Division of Cardiology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San
Francisco, CA, USA, 2018
3- “Importance of genetic variations in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy” 10 min. oral presentation,
National Congress of Turkish Medical Students, Istanbul, Turkey, 2018
4- “Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the importance of genetic variations” 40 min. oral
presentation, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2017

Extracurricular clinical experience
Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department of Cardiac and Vascular Surgery
February 2017 – June 2017 and September 2017 – December 2017:
Once a week, I went to OR all day long and observed cardiac-vascular surgeries, learned about
patient care in the ICU, observed the daily routine of my professors and cardiovascular surgery
residents.
Once a week I went to the ICU in the middle of the night and observed how patients are followed
up.
January 2017 – February 2017:
Had the opportunity to observe cardiac and vascular surgeries 5 days a week, ICU, inpatient,
outpatient services. Attended visits, departmental conferences, inserted urinary catheters, basic
stitching.
Voluntary work
March 2018 – Present
I help Turkish medical students who are interested in doing research internships in the USA by
sharing my experience.
American Heart Association (AHA)
August 2017 – Present
Involved in Health E-Heart Study, to help improve understanding of heart disease.
Social Media Volunteer, share AHA lifesaving messages online to increase awareness.
Scholarships
Turkish Prime Ministry Scholarship
Istanbul University Dr. Ziya Gun Foundation Scholarship
Istanbul University Scholarship for Dormitory and Refectory
Association for the Support of Contemporary Living
The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Turkey
Istanbul Rotary Club
Crossing Paths
Turkish Children’s Heart Association
Merit-based
Merit-based
Merit-based
Merit-based
Merit-based
Merit-based
Merit-based
Merit-based
Professional memberships
2017- Present American College of Surgeons, Medical Student Member
2016 - 2017 Nature, International Weekly Journal of Science
2015 - 2016 Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science