Women who changed medicine: Groundbreaking discoveries even without a Nobel Prize

Virginia Apgar (June 7, 1909 – August 7, 1974)

The Apgar Score is still used today for the rapid assessment of a newborn's clinical condition in the first minutes of life to determine whether urgent medical care is needed. This test, introduced by American anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar in 1953, continues to significantly reduce infant mortality worldwide.

Patricia Goldman-Rakic (April 22, 1937 – July 31, 2003)

A neuroscientist who made major contributions to the understanding of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Her research on the effects of dopamine on the brain (1970) laid the groundwork for understanding the nature of schizophrenia and ADHD. She studied memory cells in the prefrontal cortex and was the first to fully map the brain’s frontal lobe.

Harriette Chick (January 6, 1875 – July 9, 1977)

A microbiologist and nutritionist who demonstrated the importance of sunlight for the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin.

Jane Cooke Wright (November 30, 1919 – February 19, 2013)

A scientist with fundamental impact in the field of oncology chemotherapy. In 1964, while working with a team at the New York University School of Medicine, she developed a non-surgical method using a catheter system to deliver high doses of anti-cancer drugs to previously hard-to-reach areas. She was also a pioneer in the use of methotrexate for treating breast and skin cancer.

Audrey Elizabeth Evans (March 6, 1925 – September 29, 2022)

Known as the "Mother of Neuroblastoma," she created the staging system for neuroblastoma (1971) to help determine the most appropriate treatment for patients for whom standard therapy was no longer effective. She advocated for sparing patients the side effects of chemotherapy when it was not suitable due to tumor type or stage.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (July 8, 1926 – August 24, 2004)

A pioneer of hospice care who revolutionized the approach to terminally ill patients. In her 1969 work On Death and Dying, she described the five stages terminally ill patients often experience: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. She opened the conversation around death and dying, topics that had long been taboo.

Alice Zhang (?)

An American of Chinese descent, she has studied human genetic algorithms in the search for new drugs. She focuses on the use of artificial intelligence and genetic analysis of human tissue obtained from patients. She is actively involved in the use of biotechnology in neuroscience and in the preclinical development of the first drug intended to help patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Virginia Man-Yee Lee (1945)

An American of Chinese origin, she studied at the University of London, Imperial College London, University of California, and the University of Pennsylvania. She works in biochemistry and neuroscience, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease. Among her discoveries is the TDP-43 protein. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to the discovery of key mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases.

Cynthia Kenyon (February 21, 1954)

A molecular biologist and biogerontologist specializing in the genetic research of aging and life extension. Her work fundamentally changed the understanding of aging. She clarified the role of genetics in age-related diseases such as cancer and heart failure.

Editorial Team, Medscope.pro

Sources:

1. Hogg P. The 10 most influential women in the history of medicine. March 8, 2020. Available at: www.proclinical.com/blogs/2020-3/10-most-influential-women-in-history-of-science-and-medicine

2. STEM Women. Women Trailblazers in Science. December 3, 2017. Available at: www.stemwomen.net/2017/12/03/women-trailblazers-in-science/

3. Burke H. Top 10 women in life sciences today. March 8, 2024. Available at: www.proclinical.com/blogs/2024-3/top-10-women-in-life-sciences-today