Ruby Belton (b. 1946)
First African American woman to graduate from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Founder of Physicians and Laypersons Educational Associates of Greater Rochester. As a spiritual woman…
Naomi Lee (b. 1983)
University of Rochester alumnus. Native American scientist and professor engaged in biomedical research, STEM education, and mentoring, with a focus on American Indian and Alaska Native health. Long before European…
Loretta Ford (b. 1920)
Many people believe the myth that the role of nurse practitioner came about due to a shortage of medical doctors.
Donna Theo Strickland (b. 1959)
University of Rochester alumnus. Canadian physicist. Pioneer in the field of lasers. Recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. The laser, or light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation,…
Mary Steichen Calderone (1904–1998)
University of Rochester alumnus. Cofounder of the Sexual Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). Early medical director at Planned Parenthood. Mary Calderone ’39M (MD) was known as “the…
Sylvia (Sylvy) Kornberg (1917–1986)
University of Rochester alumnus. Biochemist who made significant contributions to the discovery of DNA polymerase. In 1953, the discovery of our now famous double-helix structure of DNA initiated a wave…