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Semen KhecheenashvilliLenin Prize Laureate, Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Academician of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor
Date of Birth: 26.11.1919
Country:  Georgia |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Semen Khechinashvili was born on November 26, 1919, in Kutaisi, Georgia. He graduated from Tbilisi Medical Institute in 1941.
Academic Career
After completing his medical degree, Khechinashvili worked as an otorhinolaryngologist at Tbilisi Republican Central Clinical Hospital (1941-1944). He held various positions at Tbilisi Institute for Advanced Medical Studies, including assistant (1944-1945), associate professor (1946-1948), and professor (1949-1951). In 1951, he became the head of the Otorhinolaryngology Department at the institute, a position he held until his retirement.
From 1942 to 1951, Khechinashvili also worked at the I.S. Beritashvili Institute of Physiology. He was the rector of Tbilisi Institute for Advanced Medical Studies from 1971 to 1980.
Scientific Research
Khechinashvili made significant contributions to otorhinolaryngology. He developed new hearing-improving surgeries for patients with otosclerosis and participated in the development of objective audiometry using evoked potential recordings. He also developed novel surgical techniques for laryngeal tumors, including endoscopic operations using carbon dioxide laser.
Awards and Honors
Khechinashvili received numerous awards for his work, including the Lenin Prize in 1963. He was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences in 1961, a full member in 1980, and a full member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences in 1996.
He was also a member of the German Academy of Natural Sciences (Leopoldina) (1976), an honorary doctor of Humboldt University of Berlin, and an honorary member of otorhinolaryngology societies in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, and East Germany (1978).
Legacy
Khechinashvili authored nearly 200 scientific publications, including monographs on vestibular function, audiology, and evoked potentials. He was also a co-author of two otorhinolaryngology manuals.
His work has had a lasting impact on the field of otorhinolaryngology, and he is recognized as one of the leading otorhinolaryngologists of his time. Khechinashvili lived and worked in Tbilisi until his death.
