Feb 01, 2022
Dr. Sabire Aydemir's 112th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the first woman to become a veterinary doctor in Turkey, Dr. Sabire Aydemir. Born on this day in 1910 in Kastamonu, Turkey, Aydemir followed her love for animals to pave her own path in the then-exclusive field of veterinary medicine.
During an era when women were not encouraged to pursue higher education, Aydemir attended the Erenköy Girls’ High School Istanbul in 1933 and set her sights on a career in medicine. She furthered her studies at Ankara University Veterinary Faculty. Despite social challenges, she graduated as Turkey’s first woman veterinarian in 1937.
In turn-of-the-century Turkey, conditions in the field of veterinary medicine were far from comfortable—most vets attended to cattle in the rugged countryside only accessible by horseback. Her career blossomed as a laboratory assistant in bacteriological research—a field in which she soon became an expert. Aydemir spent a lifetime promoting animal health and welfare, retiring as a specialist at the Samsun Atakum’s Veterinary Control Research Institute.
To honor her pioneering achievements, the Turkish government awarded Aydemir with the First Female Veterinarian of the Republic of Turkey plaque in 1984. And in 2016, she was given the Turkish Veterinary Medical Association Honor Award posthumously.
Thank you, Dr. Sabire Aydemir, for inspiring future generations of women!
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