Mert Ozan Bahtiyar

Mert Ozan Bahtiyar is a Turkish-American physician and maternal-fetal medicine specialist who serves as Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Yale Fetal Care Center. He is known for leading the team that performed Connecticut's first in-utero surgery to repair spina bifida in March 2020, for performing the first fetoscopic laser photocoagulation for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome in Connecticut, and for his leadership role in developing national clinical guidelines for the management of monochorionic twin pregnancies.

Education Bahtiyar received his M.D. from Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in 1994.

Career After completing his fellowship, Bahtiyar joined the Yale faculty in 2005. He is also a Fellow of Benjamin Franklin College at Yale University.

Research and clinical contributions

Fetal surgery On March 21, 2020, Bahtiyar co-led a team of more than 20 specialists that performed Connecticut's first open in-utero surgery to repair myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida. The four-hour procedure was performed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2013, Bahtiyar performed Connecticut's first fetoscopic laser photocoagulation procedure for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome at Yale-New Haven Hospital. and prenatal management guidelines.

Stillbirth research Bahtiyar's research on the relationship between advanced maternal age and stillbirth risk has been widely cited and influenced clinical practice guidelines. His 2008 study published in the American Journal of Perinatology demonstrated that women aged 40 and older have a significantly increased risk of stillbirth at term, and recommended initiating antenatal testing at 38 weeks for this population. This research received international media coverage and is cited in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) clinical guidelines on pregnancy at age 35 and older.

Publications Bahtiyar has authored or co-authored more than 125 peer-reviewed publications. His research has appeared in journals including Obstetrics & Gynecology, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy. He has also contributed chapters to major medical textbooks including Creasy and Resnik's Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Protocols for High-Risk Pregnancies.

Awards and honors Honorary Master of Arts, Yale College (2020) National Institutes of Health Perinatal Research Society Young Investigator Award (2007) March of Dimes Prematurity Research Award (2006) American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) Endowment for Education and Research Grant (2010) Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) National Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching (2011) Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) National Faculty Award for Excellence in Resident Education (2008) Guest Editor, Year Book of Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine (2007–2008)

Professional memberships Fellow, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG) Member, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Member, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine Member, International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology Member, North American Fetal Therapy Network