He was born on April 8, 1951 in Kırıkkale, Turkey. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Kırıkkale, and his medical education at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine between 1968 and 1974. After completing one year of internship at Gülhane Military Medical Academy, he served as a flight surgeon for three years at Merzifon 5 Main Jet Base Command. He then completed his residency training at the Department of General Surgery at Gülhane Military Medical Academy from 1979 to 1983, and worked for three years as a General Surgery Specialist at Ankara Etimesgut Air Hospital.
He started his academic education as an Assistant Professor at the Department of General Surgery at Gülhane Military Medical Academy in 1987, became an Associate Professor in 1991, and was appointed as a Professor in 1999. In December 1999, he was appointed as the Head of the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2005. While serving as the Head of the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, he was appointed as the Head of the Department of General Surgery in 2010. Later in 2011, he was promoted to Major General and appointed as the Dean and Chief Physician of Gülhane Military Medical Academy, a position he held until his retirement due to age limit on August 30, 2013.
Prof. Dr. Sadettin Çetiner's area of interest in General Surgery includes gastrointestinal, hepatopancreatobiliary system cancers and liver transplantation. He contributed to the implementation and establishment of laparoscopic surgery in the gastrointestinal system, especially in colorectal surgery at Gülhane. He actively participated as a speaker, moderator, and educator in live surgeries at the laparoscopic colorectal surgery courses of the Turkish Colon Rectum Surgery Association.
He initiated liver transplantation at Gülhane in July 2003 and served as the responsibility of Gülhane Military Medical Academy Liver Transplantation for the Ministry of Health until 2010. He continued to serve on the liver transplantation team until his retirement. The first small intestine transplant in Gülhane and the eleventh in Turkey was performed in April 2010. In the last two years, he was responsible for organ transplantation at Gülhane Military Medical Academy. He currently accepts patients at Ankara Özel Koru Hospital. Prof. Dr. Sadettin Çetiner, who has seen and operated on numerous patients, has medical interests in the following areas:
Gastrointestinal System Surgery
Colorectal Surgery
Oncologic Surgery
Laparoscopic Surgery
Anal Region Diseases
Hernia Surgery
Pancreato-Hepato-Biliary Surgery