Bold Women in Science – Color

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #BeBoldForChange. In this light, we’d like to celebrate some of the brilliant women in science who are boldly working to improve the health of women and their families:

• Gerneiva Parkinson, a 4th year medical student at Yale School of Medicine from Trinidad & Tobago. Gerneiva is leading research into the role of genetics in the high incidence of breast cancer in her home country.
• Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., a geneticist and professor at the University of Washington. Dr. King is known worldwide for her work in human genetics. She identified the BRCA1 gene and has extensively studied the role of genetics and the environment on a number of conditions, including breast and ovarian cancer. In 2016 President Barack Obama awarded Dr. King the National Medal of Science, America’s highest honor for achievement and leadership in advancing the fields of science and technology.
• Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and Dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine, is leading conversations around health equity, ensuring that the quality of health and health care remains high across all populations.
• Dr. Laura Esserman, a surgeon and breast cancer oncology specialist at UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center. Dr. Esserman is leading the WISDOM study to help determine a more targeted approach to breast cancer screening.
• Dr. Laura van ‘t Veer, a molecular biologist and geneticist at UCSF. Dr. van ‘t Veer invented MammaPrint, one of the first genetics-based breast cancer diagnostics. She is also the winner of the 2015 European Inventor Award.

Finally, on International Women’s Day we want to recognize all the women in the Color community who are taking important steps to keep themselves and their families healthy. Here are some of their inspiring stories.