The U.S. has earned a health and medical research reputation that is - or once was - the envy of the world. We built this powerhouse capability through far-sighted strategic investment over many years and the disciplined service of countless professionals in government, universities, medical centers, and businesses.
That work has saved and improved millions of lives here and around the world as it has spawned billions in economic development. Any fool can see that the Return on Investment is incalculably enormous. All of it is at grave risk right now.
It's time in this tragic context to celebrate current and past cancer researchers such as Dr. Jane Cooke Wright. This pioneering researcher, oncologist, and surgeon worked at a time when woman and especially Black women were not particularly welcome in the profession, to say the least. Dr. Wright nonetheless graduated at the top of her class from New York Medical College in 1945 with subsequent residencies at Bellevue and Harlem Hospitals.
Dr. Wright was focused on clinical care, studying the effects of various drugs on cancerous tumors. She and her teams identified foundational chemotherapy drugs and regimens that are credited with saving millions of lives. She also created techniques for using human tissue culture instead of laboratory mice to test the effects of drugs on human cancer cells. Her work had particularly positive consequences in treating breast cancer, leukemia, and skin cancer and, no doubt, much of it was supported by U.S. government investments in medical research. Her work has saved lives. Perhaps yours. Perhaps people you love.
This former president of the New York Cancer Society and Smith College graduate was also an avid puzzle-solver, sailor, swimmer, water colorist, and role model for countless young women and men.
