Dr. Turan examines how stigma and discrimination—as well as other psycho-social factors—affect different populations, such as people living with HIV, substance use, and epilepsy, or living as a refugee. He also examines intersecting stigmas due to race, gender, sexual orientation, and poverty in order to understand and address disparities in physical and psychological health outcomes. His research includes biomarkers of stress (hair, blood, and saliva samples for cortisol and alpha amylase). He also studies the mechanisms underlying the association between social bonds and well-being. These include effects of attachment orientations, social support and negative social evaluation on psychological and physical well-being.

Dr. Turan is a social and behavioral scientist with main research interests in the areas of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV prevention and treatment in low-resource settings of both developing and developed countries. She completed her doctoral training in Population Dynamics at Johns Hopkins University and her postdoctoral training at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. Dr. Turan’s current research includes qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies designed to address HIV-related stigma; as well as intersectional stigma related to poverty, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, substance use, and reproductive choices; in settings as diverse as rural Kenya and the Deep South in the United States. She is the principal investigator on several NIH-funded studies that examine effects, mechanisms of action, and intervention strategies for HIV-related stigma and intersectional stigma, as they relate to utilization of MCH services, HIV testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, HIV medication adherence, and engagement in HIV care. In addition, her current research program includes the study of stigma as it relates to a variety of other health conditions/services, including unintended pregnancy, obstetric fistula, breast cancer, and gender-based violence. Dr. Turan has served as the lead of an NIH Fogarty expert group on intersectional stigma and global health.

İbrahim Yiğit is a clinical psychologist and an Assistant Professor in the field of Clinical Psychology at TED University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Dicle University and then received his master’s and doctorate degrees in the field of Clinical Psychology from Ankara University. He was also a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the United States. Yiğit’s research examines the mechanisms underlying the effects of psychological factors on well-being across the lifespan. He has developed, evaluated, and used a variety of psychometric measures in this area. One area of focus has been on examining the effects of negative cognitive beliefs on internalizing/externalizing problems among both adolescent and adult samples within the framework of the schema therapy model. His recent research interests include analyzing the impact of HIV-related stigma on health outcomes including viral suppression and treatment adherence among people living with HIV. He has also expertise in employing statistical analyses (especially, mediation and moderated-mediation models) for larger data.

Ayşıl And has graduated from the Business Administration department of İstanbul University and has professionally worked in marketing and social research areas in the largest multi-national companies at managerial levels, for over 20 years. Throughout her career, she has gained knowledge and experience on the whole world of research, from data collection methods and production techniques, to transforming data into value added information, and from understanding needs and developing customized research models, to drawing marketing insights from the research findings.

Gülşah Kurt is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia and Koc University, Türkiye. She did her Ph.D. on mental health and integration of asylum seekers and refugees in Türkiye. She received her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor degree in International Relations from Middle East Technical University, Türkiye. Her current research focuses on the resilience and well-being of asylum-seeking communities in low and middle-income countries and high-income countries. She is an advocate of participatory research and the use of research as a way to empower disadvantaged communities. Currently, she is a project manager of an online cross-cultural supervision program for mental health and psychosocial support practitioners working with displaced communities in Türkiye, Bangladesh, and Northwest Syria.

Khaled has graduated from the psychology department of Istanbul Şehir University. He is currently a master's student in social psychology at Koç University. His main areas of interest are intergroup relations, prejudice and stigma, immigration and diversity, and the impact of various social processes on individuals' health and well-being.

Burcu completed her BA in Bioengineering and her MS in Biotechnology at University of Pennsylvania. She holds an MBA degree from Drexel University with Finance and Marketing concentration. She worked in the healthcare consulting and pharmaceutical industries in the USA and in Turkey over 8 years. She is currently a PhD student in Social Psychology at Koç University. Burcu is interested in stigma and its effects on different populations.

I earned a master's degree in clinical psychology from Tehran University after finishing my undergraduate studies at Tabriz University. Koç University is where I'm pursuing my Ph.D. candidacy in clinical psychology. I am mostly interested in three areas of research: The most fundamental phenomena I have researched/researching are the psychopathologies of depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior 2. In the above-mentioned framework, cognitive and emotional (regulation/dysregulation) processes are also major areas of interest for me. 3. Psychometrics is the third subfield of my study interests, along with acceptance and commitment therapy (psychological flexibility/flexibility).

Fatema completed her BA in psychology at İstanbul Bilgi University. She is currently completing her master’s degree in clinical psychology at Koç University. Fatema is interested in the material, cultural and social determinants of health, especially focused on the intersectional effects of different types of stigma, migration, trauma, and imprisonment on mental health. She is also interested in critical race, gender, sexuality, and de-colonial/post-colonial studies and mental health practice. Her current research project focuses on the relationship between internalized attitudes towards menstruation and mental health outcomes among refugees in Istanbul.

İlayda received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from İstanbul Bilgi University. She is currently a master’s student in social psychology at Koç University. Her main research interests are attachment and emotion regulation processes in romantic relationships, the effects of HIV-related stigma on partners, and the changes in health behaviors in interpersonal contexts.

Zeynep is an MA student in Developmental Psychology at Koç University. She received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Özyeğin University. Her main areas of interest are children’s socioemotional development, parent-child relationships, and risk and protective factors in children’s and adolescents’ development. Her current research focuses on stigma experiences, well-being, and maternal self-efficacy of single mothers.

Selcan Kaynak is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the Psychology Department. She received her PhD in Communications from Temple University and her BA in Political Science from Bogazici University. She has an MA in Clinical Psychology from Bilgi University.

Before coming to Koç, she served as an Assoc. Prof. and Chair at the Department of Political Science & International Relations at Boğaziçi University.

Her research interests focus on emergency and disaster mental health, post-trauma symptoms and intervention programs. She is also interested in women's health and access to resources, public perception of mental health, and global mental health policy.

Lila Naz Gunes is a third year Psychology undergraduate at Koc University. She is interested in pursuing her masters in clinical social work, and aim to practice from a holistic mental health perspective as a licensed independent clinical social worker. Her research interests include the effects of stigma and discrimination related to refugee status, addiction, and low SES, psychological resilience, psychological underpinnings and treatments of trauma-related stress disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal ideation.

Zehra Bike is a third-year undergraduate Psychology student at Koc University. She is interested in completing her master’s degree in clinical or forensic psychology. Her main research interests are topics related to refugees, and the discrimination and stigma they live through. Also, mental disorders that are common in refugees such as PTSD, major depression, generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and somatizations.