In Memoriam


Leena Peltonen (1952-2010)

We are profoundly saddened to report that Leena Peltonen died on 11 March 2010 at her home in Helsinki.
Leena was the founding chair of the UCLA Department of Human Genetics from 1998 to 2002.
Our most heartfelt condolences go out to Leena's husband and colleague, Aarno Palotie, and their two adult children, Laura and Kristian.

Leena's exceptional service to the study of human genetics will long continue through the over 70 doctoral students she mentored, over 500 original manuscripts and nearly 80 review articles she authored, and the innumerable colleagues, whom she collaborated with and indelibly inspired. We at UCLA feel very fortunate Leena was here to put in place the proper foundation for our department. We continue to development the department based on the strong framework Leena built. We know we will long continue to benefit from Leena's boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm for excellent science. Her warmhearted smile, engaging laughter, and strength of character will never leave us.

Leena was clearly one of the most productive and influential geneticists in the world. Her work included major discoveries in the genetics of dyslipidemias, multiple sclerosis, lactose intolerance, schizophrenia, obesity, and heart disease. She also championed the use of well-studied population isolates in genetic research, particularly and most productively her native Finnish population. However, her influence extended far beyond the laboratory. Leena was a tireless advocate for public health, insisting that laboratory discoveries be translated into clinical practice as quickly as possible. Her accomplishments are so numerous that any listing is superficial, but some of the more recent items should be mentioned. Shortly after leaving UCLA, Leena became the Head of Human Genetics at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, probably the most prestigious genetics center in Europe. She also recently led both The Nordic Center of Excellence in Disease Genetics and the Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine (FIMM). Among Leena's numerous awards, the most recent include the Carter medal from the Clinical Genetics Society, the European van Gysel Prize for Biomedical Research, and the Eric K. Fernströms Nordic Prize. Last year, Leena was appointed an Academician of Science, Finland's highest scientific honor. On 8 March 2010, Finland issued a postage stamp appropriately honoring Leena in a set dedicated to current Finnish heroines.



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