Rosalyn Yalow
Who was Rosalyn Yalow?
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1977)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Rosalyn Yalow (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow was born on July 19, 1921, in New York City to a family that placed high importance on education, despite not having much money. She showed outstanding academic talent early on, attending Walton High School and later Hunter College, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in physics and chemistry in 1941. Despite facing considerable gender discrimination when applying to graduate schools, she got a teaching assistantship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was the only woman among 400 physics graduate students. She completed her Ph.D. in nuclear physics in 1945, writing her dissertation on the nuclear properties of zinc isotopes.
After graduation, Yalow returned to New York and began working at the Bronx Veterans Administration Hospital in 1947. She worked there for most of her career. Initially hired to set up the hospital's radioisotope service, she started collaborating with physician Solomon Berson in 1950. Their partnership turned out to be one of the most productive in medical research history, lasting until Berson's death in 1972. Together, they developed the radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique, a groundbreaking method for measuring tiny amounts of biological substances in blood and other body fluids using radioactive isotopes.
The development of RIA changed medical diagnostics and research by allowing the precise measurement of hormones, vitamins, enzymes, and other substances that couldn't be detected before. The technique allowed doctors to diagnose conditions like diabetes, thyroid disorders, and growth abnormalities with new accuracy. At first, Yalow and Berson's work faced skepticism from the scientific community, with their first paper on the subject being rejected by the Journal of Clinical Investigation in 1955. However, the technique eventually gained acceptance and became a crucial tool in modern medicine.
Yalow's groundbreaking contributions to medical physics earned her many prestigious awards, including the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which she shared with Roger Guillemin and Andrew Schally. She became the second woman and the first American-born woman to receive the Nobel Prize in this category. Throughout her career, she received other honors such as the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1976, the National Medal of Science in 1988, and entry into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993. She continued her research and supported women in science until her retirement, passing away on May 30, 2011, in The Bronx.
Before Fame
Growing up during the Great Depression, Yalow's family believed that education was crucial for economic security. Her parents, Simon and Clara Sussman, were immigrants who ran a small paper and twine business. Even though they didn't have a formal scientific background, they encouraged their daughter's academic interests. Yalow’s passion for math and science began with her high school physics teacher and grew during her time at Hunter College, a tuition-free school that gave opportunities to talented students from working-class backgrounds.
The late 1930s and 1940s saw quick progress in nuclear physics, coinciding with Yalow’s key academic years. The discovery of radioactivity and the development of nuclear technology during World War II opened up new possibilities for medical uses. However, women faced many obstacles when trying to pursue scientific careers, as many graduate programs and professional roles were essentially off-limits to them. Yalow had to be determined to enter graduate school in physics, and she was helped by wartime labor shortages that allowed women to fill positions that had been reserved for men.
Key Achievements
- Co-developed the radioimmunoassay technique that revolutionized medical diagnostics and hormone measurement
- Won the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, becoming the first American-born woman to receive this honor
- Established the radioisotope service at the Bronx Veterans Administration Hospital, creating a world-renowned research center
- Published over 500 scientific papers and trained numerous researchers who continued advancing medical physics
- Received the National Medal of Science and multiple international awards for contributions to medical research
Did You Know?
- 01.She was rejected from graduate programs at Purdue and other universities specifically because she was a woman, with one rejection letter stating they had never accepted a woman before
- 02.The first RIA paper she co-authored with Solomon Berson was rejected by a major journal because reviewers thought the findings were too radical to be believable
- 03.She refused to patent the radioimmunoassay technique, believing that medical advances should be freely available to benefit humanity rather than generate profit
- 04.At the University of Illinois, she was assigned to teach elementary physics to pre-dental students, a position typically given to less promising graduate students
- 05.She kept a Geiger counter in her purse for decades and would often alarm airport security with her residual radioactivity from laboratory work
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine | 1977 | for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones |
| Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research | 1976 | — |
| National Women's Hall of Fame | 1993 | — |
| Canada Gairdner International Award | 1971 | — |
| AMA Scientific Achievement Award | 1975 | — |
| National Medal of Science | 1988 | — |
| Dickson Prize in Medicine | 1972 | — |
| Women in Technology Hall of Fame | 1997 | — |
| Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences | — | — |
| Fred Conrad Koch Award | 1972 | — |
| honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta | — | — |
| honorary doctor of the University of Miami | 1983 | — |
| Ladies' Home Journal Women of the Year | 1978 | — |
| Howard Taylor Ricketts Prize | 1971 | — |
| honorary doctorate of Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 | 1979 | — |