Salome G. Waelsch

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

October 6, 1907 - November 7, 2007


Scientific Discipline: Cellular and Developmental Biology
Membership Type:
Emeritus (elected 1979)

Salome Waelsch pioneered the field of developmental genetics by applying genetic theory and practice to embryology. She conducted research on mutations in a family of mouse genes, called the t-complex, which encode for tails and spinal development. Through meticulous work, she was able to trace the genetic cause of mutation from the embryo to the phenotypic effect in the mature individual. This work was important in understanding the genetic causes of birth defects.  
Waelsch earned her PhD from the University of Freiburg in 1932 for her work on embryological limb development in gastropods. During the Nazi party’s rise to power, she fled Germany with her husband and became an American citizen in 1938. From 1936 to 1953, she was a research associate at Columbia University. She became a professor of anatomy at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where from 1963 to 1976 she served as Chairman of the Department of Genetics. She retired in 1978, but continued her research into the 1990’s. In 1993, President Clinton awarded her the National Medal of Science.

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