Petra Wilder-Smith facts for kids

Petra Wilder-Smith is a brilliant scientist who uses light and lasers to help people. She is a professor and leads the dentistry program at the Beckman Laser Institute at the University of California, Irvine. She also teaches at other universities, like Aachen University in Germany.

Dr. Wilder-Smith is an expert in using light and special tools called optics. She uses them to find and treat oral cancer, which is a type of cancer that can grow in the mouth. She has created new laser tools that can check and treat mouth problems without needing to cut into the body.

Petra Wilder-Smith's Journey in Science

Petra Wilder-Smith studied dentistry at Guy's Hospital at the University of London in the United Kingdom. She earned her dental degree with high honors in July 1983. In the same year, she also received a special diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons of Great Britain.

Early Studies and Awards

In 1985, Dr. Wilder-Smith earned another advanced degree, a doctorate, from the University of Bern in Switzerland. Her work there focused on how to fix and restore teeth.

She then worked as a junior teacher at Guy's Hospital and at Heidelberg University in Germany. At Heidelberg, she became a specialist in oral medicine in 1986.

In 1987, she won a special award from the European Society of Endodontology. This was for her new ideas on using a technique called Laser Doppler flowmetry in dental research. This technique uses lasers to measure blood flow.

While at Heidelberg, she also received the university's Best Clinician Award in 1988. In 1989, she was honored with the Best Lecturer Award and the Stauffenberg Award for her amazing research. Later, in 1999, she earned another doctorate, this time in biomedical optics, from Aachen University.

Joining the Beckman Laser Institute

In 1991, Dr. Wilder-Smith joined the Beckman Laser Institute at the University of California, Irvine. She started as an assistant director for their Dental Program. Over the years, she took on more responsibility.

By 1993, she was an associate director. In 1995, she became the Director of the Dental Program. She continued to advance, becoming an Associate Professor in 1998 and a full Professor in 2008. She still leads the Dental Program there today.

Her Amazing Research

Dr. Wilder-Smith's research is all about finding oral cancer very early. She uses special light-based methods that don't involve surgery. These methods include fluorescence and optical coherence tomography.

Finding Cancer Early

Her main goal is to create tools that can spot precancerous or cancerous tissues in the mouth as soon as possible. Finding these problems early means they can be treated more easily and successfully.

She has worked with many other scientists from places like City of Hope and UCLA. Together, they have published over 100 research papers. Her work has received funding from important groups like the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense.

A Portable Device for Oral Cancer

Dr. Petra Wilder-Smith is working with other scientists, including Dr. Zhongping Chen and Dr. Rongguang Liang. They are also working with Dr. M. A. Kuriakose in Bangalore, India. Their team is developing a small, affordable device to detect oral cancer. This is very important in India, where oral cancer causes many deaths among men.

The device is about the size of a shoebox and runs on solar power. It uses mobile phone technology to send laser images of mouth problems to specialists. This way, doctors can check the images and give advice, even if they are far away. Future versions might even connect to smartphones!

This portable device can help many people who don't have easy access to dental care. By finding cancer in its very early stages, more lives can be saved.

How the Device Works

The device sends a beam of light into the mouth tissue, going about 2 millimeters deep. It compares this light to a reference beam. Then, it creates a detailed image of the tissue's surface and what's underneath.

This image gives doctors information similar to what they would get from a biopsy, but without any pain or cutting. The device is very good at finding cancer, with a high success rate. It helps doctors decide if a patient needs no action, needs to be checked again in a few months, or should see a specialist right away.

Advisory Roles

Dr. Wilder-Smith also helps guide important organizations. She serves on advisory boards for groups like the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. She also helps with the Diagnostic Sciences Group of the International Association for Dental Research and the Prevent Cancer Foundation. She is also on the editorial boards of several scientific journals.