Also known as the first Turkish scientist to be elected as the director of the European Society of Endocrinology and the President of the European Congress of Endocrinology, Prof. Dr. Okan Bülent Yıldız received the "European Special Recognition Award" for his contributions to the advancement of endocrinology science in Europe for many years. The award was presented to Yıldız at a ceremony held at the opening of the endocrinology congress held in Milan and attended by more than 100 countries.