Meliha TERZİOĞLU

Meliha Inay Terzioglu (1915-1995) was a Turkish physiologist and scientist, particularly known for her work on respiratory regulation, hypothermia and erythropoiesis.

Who is Meliha Terzioglu?

Meliha Inay Terzioğlu was born on July 16, 1915 in Soma. She started her primary education in Soma and moved to Istanbul at the age of 10 and continued her education at Üsküdar American Girls College. In 1934, after graduating from this school, she went to the United States and received a master's degree in biology from Wellesley College. Then, with a scholarship from the Ministry of Education, she started her doctoral studies in medicine at Yale University. She completed her doctorate in 1938 and returned to Turkey. Meliha Terzioğlu started her scientific career as an assistant at Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine and continued her scientific career rapidly.

Influence and Legacy

Terzioğlu's contributions to science were not limited to his academic work, but he also contributed greatly to the development of the field of physiology in Turkey. He was promoted to associate professor in 1944 and professor in 1949, becoming one of the most important scientists in Turkey. In particular, he pioneered the development of the discipline of biophysics and played an important role in the inclusion of the biophysics course in the curriculum of Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. In 1965, he established the chair of biophysics at Istanbul Medical Faculty and with the establishment of Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty in 1967, he assumed the chairmanship of the Department of Physiology. Although she retired from this position at Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty in 1994, she continued to teach until 1998.

In her scientific career, Meliha Terzioğlu has conducted important research on respiratory physiology, hypothermia and erythropoiesis mechanisms that provide red blood cell production and has authored many scientific publications in these fields. He was also one of the founders of the Respiratory Research Society of Turkey in 1970 and served as its president from 1970 to 1994. Towards the end of the 1960s, she joined the board of trustees of Robert College and continued her contributions in the field of education.

Meliha Terzioğlu was included in the book "Leading Women of the Twentieth Century" published by the Cambridge International Biography Center in 1989 and was elected as an "honorary member" by the Turkish Academy of Sciences in 1995. A lecture hall at the Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in Istanbul was named after Terzioğlu to perpetuate her memory.

On March 14, 1995, Meliha Terzioğlu passed away in Istanbul, leaving an unforgettable mark on the Turkish scientific world with her contributions to science and education. Her innovative approach to education, her scientific contributions and the academic infrastructures she established are a great source of inspiration for today's scientists and students.