Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (BEUN) was established in 1992 under the name Zonguldak Karaelmas University. The name was changed to Bülent Ecevit University in accordance with Article 18 of Law No. 6287, published in the Official Gazette on April 11, 2012, with the number 28261. Following the establishment of the university, initiatives were undertaken to establish a Faculty of Medicine and a Health Practice and Research Centre, considering the needs of the region. The Faculty of Medicine was established with Law No. 3837, dated July 3, 1992.
The Faculty of Medicine and the Health Practice and Research Centre are located at the ‘Ibn-i Sina Campus’, a comprehensive health campus situated in the extraordinary natural beauty of the Western Black Sea, 8 kilometers from the Zonguldak-Ereğli highway. This campus houses the Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahmet Erdoğan Health Services Vocational School, and the Science and Technology Research and Application Centre.
In the 2000-2001 academic year, with the approval of the Higher Education Council, pre-graduate and post-graduate medical education in various departments began. The Faculty of Medicine graduated its first cohort in the 2005-2006 academic year. It currently operates with 44 departments and 15 branches of science, affiliated with Basic Medical Sciences, Internal Medical Sciences, and Surgical Medical Sciences. The faculty provides pre-graduate and post-graduate medical education, research, and social contribution activities that are regionally and nationally recognized in the field of health. The faculty is supported by 60 professors, 27 associate professors, 54 faculty members with doctoral degrees, 1 specialist physician, and 336 research assistants, totaling 360 academic staff members. To date, the Faculty of Medicine has graduated 811 Medical Doctors and 513 Specialist Physicians.
The Health Practice and Research Centre Hospital began operations in 2000, located in a complex consisting of five blocks and providing approximately 60,000 m² of closed area. With around 1,700 employees, the centre not only provides tertiary health services to the people of the region but also contributes significantly to the region's economic vitality. Initially, the centre had a bed capacity of 70. However, it currently has a total of 609 beds, including 80 intensive care unit beds—55 of which are day-care beds and 76 are tertiary care beds—as well as 474 inpatient wards and 14 operating theatres. The centre also includes 8 intensive care units: Internal, Surgical, Neonatal, Paediatrics, Paediatric Surgery, Chest Diseases, Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Surgery, totaling 80 beds. Annually, the centre serves approximately 380,000 outpatients and 67,000 inpatients, including those receiving day hospital care.
Since its establishment, the university has followed an ideal path in terms of its structure, with coordinated efforts in developing physical facilities, and acquiring trained personnel and equipment. As a result, the university has quickly become a respected institution in the areas of quality education, research, and healthcare services. We take pride in being on par with many exemplary medical faculties.