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Furkan Yigitbilek, M.D.
Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
To see if Furkan Yigitbilek is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Specialties
Transfusion Medicine
Apheresis and Special Coagulation
Department
Locations and Contact
UC Davis Medical Center
UC Davis Medical Center
2315 Stockton Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Phone: 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284)
Philosophy of Care
I believe every patient deserves care that is personalized to their needs. I take time to listen, answer questions, and work together to make sure each person feels supported and confident in their care.
Clinical Interests
Dr. Yigitbilek is a clinical pathologist specialized in transfusion medicine/blood banking. He provides clinical care in therapeutic apheresis, blood product support for complex surgical and transplant patients, and management of patients with hematologic and immunohematologic disorders. His special clinical interests include optimization of blood utilization, patient blood management, and advancing safety and precision in transfusion practice.
Research/Academic Interests
Dr. Yigitbilek’s academic interests center on advancing precision and safety in transfusion medicine. His research focuses on optimizing blood utilization, improving outcomes in therapeutic apheresis, and developing novel approaches to patient blood management.
Division
Clinical Pathology
Medical School
M.D., Trakya University, Edirne Turkiye 2019
Other School
Associate Degree, Health Institutions Management, Andalou University, Eskisehir Turkiye 2018
Residency
Clinical Pathology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston MA 2021-2024
Fellowship
Transfusion Medicine/ Blood Banking, Stanford University, Standford CA 2024-2025
Travel Award, ASHI Annual Meeting, 2024,
Early Career Investigator Award in Clinical/ Translational Science, AASLD Foundation, 2022,
Poster of Distinction Award, The Liver Meeting, Washington D.C., 2022,
Jamal YA, Yigitbilek F, Yunce M. Therapeutic Apheresis for Neurological Diseases: A Five-Year Retrospective Study at a Large Academic Medical Center. J Clin Apher. 2025 Jun;40(3):e70035. doi: 10.1002/jca.70035. PMID: 40491040.
Yigitbilek F, Pandey S, Pham T, Virk MS. Residual red blood cells in liquid plasma products: A quality assessment. Am J Clin Pathol. 2025 May 10:aqaf036. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqaf036. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40347143.
Yigitbilek F, Pilichowska M. Acid Elution (Kleihauer-Betke) Test in a Patient with Homozygous Sickle Cell Disease and Elevated Hemoglobin-F Levels. Balkan Med J. 2023 Sep 11;40(5):373. doi: 10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2023.2023-5-109. PMID: 37697632; PMCID: PMC10500133.
Yigitbilek F, Ozdogan E, Abrol N, Park WD, Hansen MJ, Dasari S, Stegall MD, Taner T. Liver mesenchymal stem cells are superior inhibitors of NK cell functions through differences in their secretome compared to other mesenchymal stem cells. Front Immunol. 2022 Sept 21;13:952262.
Mujtahedi SS, Yigitbilek F, Benavides X, Merzkani MA, Ozdogan E, Abozied O, Moore NA, Park WD, Stegall MD. Bone marrow derived long-lived plasma cell phenotypes are heterogeneous and can change in culture. Transpl Immunol. 2022 Dec;75:101726.
Benavides X, Rogers RT, Tan EK, Merzkani MA, Thirunavukkarasu S, Yigitbilek F, Smith BH, Rule AD, Kukla A, Chow GK, Heimbach JK, Taner T, Dean PG, Prieto M, Stegall MD. Complications After Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Living Donor Nephrectomy. Mayo Clin Proc. 2022 May;97(5):894-904.
Saini H, Wang AY, Kosarchuk JJ, Yigitbilek F, Kouhsari LM, Arkun K, et al. Metal allergy hypersensitivity after posterior thoracic spinal fusion: A case report and review of the literature. Surg Neurol Int. 2021;12:635.
Mujtahedi SS, Yigitbilek F, Ozdogan E, Schinstock CA, Stegall MD. Antibody-Mediated Rejection: the Role of Plasma Cells and Memory B Cells. Current Transplantation Reports. 2021; 8(4), 272-280.
Yigitbilek F, Conley SM, Tang H, Saadiq IM, Jordan KL, Lerman LO, Taner T. Comparable in vitro Function of Human Liver-Derived and Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Implications for Cell-Based Therapy. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Mar 26;9:641792.