Dekanosidze Tamar

Tamar Dekanosidze, (3 November 1922, Kharagauli – 23 July 2008, Tbilisi), was a pathological anatomist. She was a corresponding member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences (1983) and a member of the Georgian Academy of Medical Sciences (1973). She held a Doctorate in Medical Sciences (1964), became a professor in 1966, and was recognized as an Honored Scientist of Georgia in 1976.

In 1943, she graduated from the Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU). From 1943 to 1969, she worked there as an assistant, associate and professor in the Department of Pathological Anatomy. From 1969 to 1973, she headed the Department of Histology and Embryology, and from 1973 to 1996, she led the Department of Pathological Anatomy.

From 1980 to 2000, she served as the Chief Pathological Anatomist of the Georgian Ministry of Health, and from 1984 to 1999, she was chairperson of the Georgian Scientific Society of Pathological Anatomists. She was also a member of the governmental commission that investigated the 9 April 1989 events in Tbilisi.

She published six monographs, including “Morphofunctional Foundations of Adaptation and Compensatory Processes”, for which she was awarded the I. Tarkhnishvili State Prize in 1962. Her name is associated with the reorganization of the teaching methods of Histology and Embryology (1969), and redefining Pathological Anatomy education (1973). She was a member of the editorial board of the Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia and the editorial board of the journal Архив патологии (Archives of Pathology).

She received numerous state awards; including the Orden of Honor in 1997. She was a honored citizen of Tbilisi (2002).