Biography
Evelyn M. Witkin ( née Maisel ; March 9, 1921 – July 8, 2023) was an American bacterial geneticist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1944–1955), SUNY Downstate Medical Center (1955–1971), and Rutgers University (1971–1991). Witkin was considered innovative and inspirational as a scientist, teacher and mentor. [ 4 ] Her work on DNA damage and DNA repair in bacteria is foundational to our understanding of such processes in living organisms. Her work has direct application to the effects of aging and to the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases such as cancer. [ 5 ] [ 4 ] Witkin was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2002 for her pioneering work on DNA mutagenesis and DNA repair . [ 2 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] In 2015, Witkin received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research "for discoveries concerning the DNA-damage response - a fundamental mechanism that protects the genomes of all living organisms." [ 3 ] Witkin grew up in Queens, New York. She commuted to attend high school in Manhattan at Washington Irving High School , then an all-girls school, where she was encouraged to pursue her interest in science. [ 8 ] Witkin earned a bachelor's degree from New York University in 1941, majoring in biology. She intended to remain there for graduate work, but after she helped to organize protests against the school's policy of not allowing black athletes to play at Southern colleges, she was suspended for three months and an offer for a graduate position was withdrawn. [ 9 ] [ 8 ] [ 10 ]
About the Lasker Award
The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary Woodard Lasker (a medical research activist). The awards are sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels."
Quick Facts
- Award: Lasker Award - Basic Medical Research
- Added: 2026-02-07
- Source: Wikipedia
- Established: 1946
- Presented by: Lasker Foundation