A Turkish-origin female heart surgeon, who won Germany's prestigious medical award for her work on cardiovascular surgery, plans to establish an artificial heart center.
Dilek Gürsoy, 43, was granted the German Medical Award last week as she became the first female surgeon to implant an artificial heart in 2012 and her ongoing work in the area.
Gürsoy -- who has been working on artificial hearts for a decade -- is now striving to realize another dream: Opening a center in the same field.
"I have been thinking of realizing this for around 5-6 years and I further focused on this field in the last two years. I quit the hospital where I worked last month and I am now conducting meetings about establishing this artificial heart center," she told Anadolu Agency.
"It is also not an easy task, just like other jobs, but I believe I will succeed at it with my self-confidence, my previous efforts that I've done so far and my experience," she said.
Gürsoy -- who was born in the German city of Neuss and graduated from the university in 2003, spoke how she worked to realize her dreams.
"I dreamt of becoming a doctor since I was young … I set this goal and succeeded in it in due course.
"Studying at the medical faculty was not an easy thing. I worked with determination and completed the faculty within six years," she said.
Underlining that her recent medical award was also a motivating factor, she said: "It shows I am on the right path. I will continue on this way."
Gürsoy advised other young people to work with determination and not give up.
"Of course, it had difficulties but we need to not give up and not bend to anyone. I advise everyone to be believe in themselves," she said.
Gürsoy will receive her prize during a ceremony to be held in Dusseldorf on Nov. 18.
