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Year:1940s and 1950s
Who: Jane C. Wright
Where: Harlem Hospital Center, New York
What: Born in 1919 in New York City, Dr. Jane C. Wright was deeply inspired by her father, Dr. Louis Tompkins Wright, one of the first African American graduates of Harvard Medical School and a pioneer in cancer research at Harlem Hospital. This legacy of excellence set the stage for Jane Wright's extraordinary career.
After graduating with honors from New York Medical College in 1945, Wright completed her medical training at Bellevue Hospital and Harlem Hospital, where she became chief resident. In 1949, she joined her father at Harlem Hospital’s Cancer Research Foundation, shifting the focus toward exploring anti-cancer chemicals. Together, they pioneered trials that demonstrated early success in treating leukemia and lymphatic cancers, with several patients achieving remission. After her father’s passing in 1952, Wright assumed leadership of the foundation at just 33 years old, cementing her role as a leader in oncology.
Wright’s innovative approaches to chemotherapy transformed the field. She developed new techniques for administering anti-cancer agents, including the use of catheter-based delivery systems, and conducted groundbreaking research on patient and tissue culture responses to chemotherapy. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed her to the President’s Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke, which led to the establishment of a national network of treatment centers.
In 1967, Wright returned to her alma mater, New York Medical College, as professor of surgery, associate dean, and head of the Cancer Chemotherapy Department. She also made history as the first woman president of the New York Cancer Society in 1971. Over her 40-year career, she published extensively, advanced global cancer research, and inspired generations of scientists.
Sources
Journal Article:
Wright, J. C., Cobb, J. P., Gumport, S. L., Golomb, F. M., & Safadi, D. (1957). Investigation of the relation between clinical and tissue-culture response to chemotherapeutic agents on human cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 257(25), 1207-1211. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM195712192572502
Websites:
National Library of Medicine. (n.d.). Biography of Percy Lavon Julian. https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_336.html
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