Irma Thesleff

Thesleff received a degree in dentistry from University of Helsinki in 1972.{{Cite web|title=CV Thesleff|url=https://www.aka.fi/globalassets/tietysti1.fi/awanhat/documents/akateemikot/thesleff_cv.pdf|access-date=August 22, 2021}} For research her uncle, the developmental biologist {{Interlanguage link|Lauri Saxén|lt=Lauri Saxén|fi}}, suggested she work on developmental biology of the mouth or the teeth because of her familiarity with the topic from her dentistry degree.{{Cite journal|last=Donner|first=Kristian|date=2014|title=Between hard rock and open space: Constraints and freedom of Finnish paleontology|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23737185|journal=Annales Zoologici Fennici|volume=51|issue=1/2|pages=2–16|doi=10.5735/086.051.0202|jstor=23737185|s2cid=85415863|issn=0003-455X}} She subsequently earned her Doctor of Odontology from the University of Helsinki in 1975 with research on cleft lip and palate.{{Cite thesis|title=Etiological variables in oral clefts.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/256914046|date=1975|language=und|first=Irma|last=Saxén|oclc = 256914046}} From 1976 until 1978, Thesleff was a visiting associate at the National Institute of Dental Research in Bethesda, Maryland. She returned to Finland, and served as an instructor at the University of Finland from 1979 until 1983, at which point she became a scientist at the Academy of Finland until 1990. In 1990 she was named professor in the department of pedodontics and orthodontics at the University of Helsinki.

She has served as the president of the European Orthodontic Society in 2009,{{Cite web|title=Presidents|url=https://eoseurope.org/past-presidents/|access-date=2021-08-22|website=European Orthodontic Society|language=en-GB}} and as the president of the Finnish Society for Developmental Biology.

Thesleff's work is in mammalian organs, and she is best known for studies on tissue interactions regulating tooth formation. This research includes work on the development of teeth from dental stem cells and includes investigations into congenital dental defects.

• {{Cite journal|last1=Vainio|first1=Seppo|last2=Karavanova|first2=Irina|last3=Jowett|first3=Adrian|last4=Thesleff|first4=Irma|date=1993|title=Identification of BMP-4 as a signal mediating secondary induction between epithelial and mesenchymal tissues during early tooth development|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0092867405800832|journal=Cell|language=en|volume=75|issue=1|pages=45–58|doi=10.1016/S0092-8674(05)80083-2|pmid=8104708|s2cid=46803201}}
• {{Cite journal|last=Thesleff|first=Irma|date=2003-05-01|title=Epithelial-mesenchymal signalling regulating tooth morphogenesis|journal=Journal of Cell Science|volume=116|issue=9|pages=1647–1648|doi=10.1242/jcs.00410|pmid=12665545|issn=0021-9533|doi-access=free}}
• {{Cite journal|last1=Jernvall|first1=Jukka|last2=Thesleff|first2=Irma|date=2000|title=Reiterative signaling and patterning during mammalian tooth morphogenesis|journal=Mechanisms of Development|language=en|volume=92|issue=1|pages=19–29|doi=10.1016/S0925-4773(99)00322-6|pmid=10704885|doi-access=free}}

Thesleff was named a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization in 2000,{{Cite web|title=Find people in the EMBO Communities|url=https://people.embo.org/profile/irma-thesleff|access-date=2021-08-25|website=people.embo.org}} an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2008,{{Cite web|title=Historic Fellows {{!}} American Association for the Advancement of Science|url=https://www.aaas.org/fellows/historic|access-date=2021-08-22|website=www.aaas.org|language=en}} and elected member of the United States National Academy of Medicine in 2014,{{Cite web|title=National Academy of Medicine - Irma Thesleff|url=https://nam.edu/member/?member_id=gRV83goqCHFbctjto%2BrExg%3D%3D|access-date=August 25, 2021}} an Academician of Science by the Academy of Finland in 2014,{{Cite web|title=Academicians of Science - Academy of Finland|url=https://www.aka.fi/en/about-us/scientists-behind-the-research/academicians-of-science/|access-date=2021-08-22|website=www.aka.fi}} and a Foreign Associate of the United States' National Academy of Sciences in 2017.{{Cite web|title=Member Directory: Irma Thesleff|url=http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/20034943.html|website=National Academy of Sciences}}

Thesleff received the Anders Jahres Award for Medical Research from University of Oslo in 1999.{{Cite web|title=Tidligere vinnere av Anders Jahres medisinske priser - Universitetet i Oslo|url=https://www.uio.no/om/tall-og-fakta/uio-priser/jahreprisen/prisvinnere/index.html|access-date=2021-08-25|website=www.uio.no|language=no}} In 2008, she received the Isaac Shour Memorial Award from the International Association for Dental Research.{{Cite web|title=Isaac Schour Memorial Award, IADR|url=https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/prizes/isaac-schour-memorial-award-iadr|access-date=2021-08-25|website=University of Helsinki|language=en}} She has received honorary doctorates from the University of Göteborg, University of Copenhagen, McGill University, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, University of Debrecen, University of Oslo, and Karolinska Institutet.

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Category:Living people

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Category:Academic staff of the University of Helsinki

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Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences

Category:Finnish women academics

Category:Developmental biologists

Category:Women paleontologists

Category:Members of the National Academy of Medicine