Winkler, Warren H. (b. April 1, 1928, St. Louis, Missouri, USA – d. February 25, 2019, Istanbul), physician who served at the American Hospital as chief physician (1967–94) and general director (1967–90).
Winkler served in the US Navy for two years towards the end of World War II, before studying for an undergraduate degree at Elmhurst College (1947–50). From 1951 to 1955, he studied medicine at Michigan University, completing his internship in Traverse City, Michigan in 1956.
In 1956, Dr. Winkler was appointed to a rural health center in Talas, Kayseri, by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, but before accepting the role, he spent two years specializing in surgery at McNeal Hospital in Chicago (1956–58). Dr. Winkler's book, İki Doktor Bir Yolculuk (Two Doctors, One Journey; 2014), details the years he spent in Talas from 1959 to 1965.
In 1965, Dr. Winkler joined the academic staff at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (Baltimore, Maryland) and taught there for one academic year. In the following year, he was sent to Turkey by Johns Hopkins University to act as a consultant to the Turkish Ministry of Health and was made director of the local health project in Muş as part of this role.
In 1967, Dr. Winkler was offered the role of chief physician at the American Hospital in Istanbul. He accepted on the basis that he could work part–time, subsequently spending two years traveling between Istanbul and Muş to fulfil the two separate roles simultaneously. In 1968, he brought his family to Istanbul and devoted all his time to managing the American Hospital. Dr. Winkler served as chief physician of the American Hospital for more than 25 years. In 1990, he passed the role of general director on to George D. Rountree. In 1994, he left his position as chief physician, but continued to work at the American Hospital.
Dr. Winkler’s 28–year period of service at the American Hospital was an era of rapid development. Following the addition of five annexes to the main building, the hospital expanded from an area of 2,640 square meters to 14,255 square meters, the number of medical departments rose from seven to 37 and the number of physicians rose from 42 to 143. Over time, the American Hospital developed into a medical center due to the importance given to outpatient services and preventative care programs.