Eylem Öcal, MD, FAANS, FAAP, FACS, is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and a pediatric neurosurgeon in the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH).
She graduated from Marmara University School of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey in 1999 with honors. She completed her neurosurgery residency in 2010 at Yale University School of Medicine/Yale-New Haven Medical Center and a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship in 2011 at British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada.
After completion of her training, she joined the Department of Neurosurgery at UAMS and the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in October 2011. She is taking care of patients with a variety of pediatric neurosurgical pathologies. Her main interests are surgical management of spina bifida and craniosynostosis. She is an advocate for global child health, equity in health care and neurosurgical education. She is involved in various clinical research projects, quality improvement, educational activities, and advocacy in pediatric neurosurgery. She is also leading the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives of the ISPN.
She is a member of several international, national, and local medical organizations. She is an active member of the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery, American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery, American College of Surgeons (ACS), and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). She is the International Relations Committee Co-chair at the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery as well as board member of ISPN. She is the neurosurgical liaison to AAP Section on Global Child Health.