Cemil TUGAY was born in Van in 1967, during his father’s compulsory service as the child of a teacher father and a housewife mother.
He graduated from İzmir İnönü High School’s secondary school in 1980 and high school in 1983. In 1989, he graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Ege University. He worked as a general practitioner in Çorum and Tire for 4 years.
He specialized in Plastic Surgery between 1993 and 2000, and he majored his specialist doctorate in Izmir Atatürk Training and Research Hospital in 2000.
In 1997, he worked as a researcher at Cleveland Clinic, USA for 1 year.
Following becoming a specialist, he worked as a Plastic Surgery specialist at Karşıyaka Public Hospital between 2001-2005 and at İzmir Çiğli Kent Hospital between 2005-2009.
In 2009, he started working as a private physician in Karşıyaka and closed his practice in Alsancak after he was elected as mayor.
He is married. Mr. Tugay has 3 children, including 2 girls and 1 boy, who are studying at university, high school and primary school, and he speaks English and French.

Experiences of Politics and Civil Society Organization 
In 2010, he joined as a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
In 2011, he participated in party activities as a member of CHP Izmir provincial BYKP health commission.
Between 2012-2016, he worked as the Chairman of the Private Medicine Commission of Izmir Chamber of Medicine, as a member of the Executive Board of the Private Medicine Branch of the Turkish Medical Association and as the President of the TMA Task Force for 2 periods.
In 2013-2014, he was a member and then the chairman of CHP Izmir Provincial R&D Committee.
In 2014, he was elected as a member of the Executive Board of Karşıyaka City Council and worked at the City Council for a year.
With the assignment of the Headquarters, he first worked as the Information Officer in 2015 and then as the vice chairman responsible for election and legal affairs in the CHP Karşıyaka District Executive Board.
Firstly, he was first elected as a delegate of Karşıyaka İnönü District in 2016; then elected at the district congress and served as the vice chairman responsible for NGOs and Professional Chambers in the CHP Karşıyaka District Executive Board. In addition, in 2016, he was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Plastic Surgery Association and served in this position for a year.
Between 2017-2018, he was elected and worked as a member of the Board of Directors of the Plastic Surgery Association in Aegean Region.
Between 2019-2024, he served as the Mayor of Karşıyaka Municipality.
He became the President of the Union after the election held at the 41st Ordinary Assembly Meeting of the Union of Healthy Cities of Turkey held in Bursa on 4 June 2024.
He resigned from his membership in Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi on June 18, 2026, and continues his duty as an Independent Mayor.
Dr. Cemil TUGAY
Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality