IADR Distinguished Scientist Award in Oral Medicine & Pathology Research to Kristiina Heikinheimo, Finland

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) has granted the prestigious Distinguished Scientist Award in Oral Medicine & Pathology Research to Kristiina Heikinheimo, DDS, MS (Oral Pathology), PhD from the University of Turku, Finland in recognition of her ground-breaking work in the field of molecular medicine and genetics in the mouth and jaws. 

IADR is the global leader in dental, oral and craniofacial research and celebrates its centenary this year. The IADR Distinguished Scientist Award in Oral Medicine and Pathology Research award was established by the IADR Experimental Pathology Group in 1995. The award is granted in recognition of sustained and exceptionally high-level research that has contributed to the understanding of the mechanisms governing health and pathologies in the oral cavity and associated structures.

Kristiina Heikinheimo has established a unique research programme looking at tumours of the mouth and jaws at the University of Turku. She is an internationally esteemed expert and lecturer in molecular pathology and also a member of the Editorial Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Head and Neck Tumours. Kristiina Heikinheimo is a lecturer at the University of Turku Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a visiting professor at King’s College, London. The Dental School of King’s College London was ranked the world’s leading dental school in 2020 (source: QS World University Rankings).

The international research group led by Kristiina Heikinheimo is working to detect genetic mutations causing mouth and jaw tumours, to improve the diagnosis and treatment of tumours and prediction of treatment outcomes, and to develop new targeted therapies.