Southeast Georgia Health System issued the following announcement on Feb. 21.
February celebrates Black History Month, an annual recognition of African American courage, resiliency and achievements in U.S. history. This year, the theme focuses on the importance of Black Health and Wellness and the medical professionals who made a profound impact in their fields and society.
In honor of Black History Month, Southeast Georgia Health System shares the story of Jane Cooke Wright, M.D., an African American pioneer who changed the face of cancer medicine. A physician, professor and researcher, Wright contributed significantly to chemotherapy, revolutionizing oncological research. Additionally, Wright authored 135 scientific papers and served on multiple national and international programs to treat cancer patients, instruct doctors, and develop guidelines for clinical trials.
Born in New York City on November 20, 1919, Jane Cooke Wright was the oldest daughter of Louis T. Wright, the first African American graduate of Harvard Medical School. Wright graduated with honors from New York Medical College in 1945. In 1947, she married Harvard Law graduate David Jones Jr. with whom she had two daughters.
Wright joined her father, founder of the Cancer Research Foundation, at Harlem Hospital in 1949. Together, they researched anti-cancer chemical testing, forming the idea of personalized medicine based on individual patients. In 1951, she identified the drug methotrexate as effective against cancerous tumors, establishing chemotherapy as a viable treatment for cancer.
At the age of 33, following her father’s death, Wright was appointed head of the Cancer Research Foundation. In 1955, she became an associate professor of surgical research and the director of cancer chemotherapy research at New York University Medical Center. Wright implemented a comprehensive program to study stroke and heart disease, and another to instruct doctors in chemotherapy. By 1967, she was the head of the Cancer Chemotherapy Department and associate dean at New York College.
In addition to her research, Wright was the only woman to help found the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in 1964 and became the first woman elected president of the New York Cancer Society in 1971. President Lyndon Johnson appointed her to the National Cancer Advisory Board and the President’s Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke.
With multiple awards and recognitions, she retired in 1985. On February 19, 2013, Dr. Jane Cooke Wright died at the age of 93. In honor of her pioneering spirit, the ASCO annually awards a researcher with the Jane C. Wright, MD, Young Investigator Award, a grant to spearhead cancer research. Her legacy lives on in hospitals, clinics, universities, research laboratories and most notably, in the lives of those she has saved due to her groundbreaking discoveries.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Southeast Georgia Health System
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