Born: July 19, 1921 (Bronx, New York)
Biography:
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, an American medical physicist, was born on July 19, 1921, in the Bronx, New York. She was the daughter of Clara and Simon Sussman, growing up in a Jewish household. Yalow attended Walton High School in New York City, and her mother hoped she would become a teacher. However, Yalow had a different ambition – she wanted to study physics.
Despite her family’s reservations, Yalow pursued her passion for physics. She enrolled at the all-female, tuition-free Hunter College after graduating high school. Yalow’s exceptional typing skills landed her a part-time secretary position at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, working under Dr. Rudolf Schoenheimer, a renowned biochemist. Yet, she still had doubts about being accepted into a graduate school and receiving financial support as a woman. To hedge her bets, Yalow took up another secretarial role with Dr. Michael Heidelberger, another biochemist at Columbia, who required her to learn stenography. Ultimately, Yalow successfully completed her studies at Hunter College in January 1941.
Yalow’s achievements did not stop there. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offered her a teaching assistant position in physics a few years later. This opportunity arose due to World War II, which prompted many men to join the army and left universities eager to offer education and jobs to women, ensuring their survival. Yalow accepted the position, becoming the only woman among the department’s 400 members and the first since 1917. In 1945, she earned her Ph.D., and the following summer, she took two physics courses at New York University under government sponsorship.
In June 1943, Yalow married Aaron Yalow, a fellow student and the son of a rabbi. The couple had two children, Benjamin and Elanna Yalow, and maintained a kosher home. Yalow, however, did not believe in the concept of balancing her career with her home life. Instead, she integrated her family life into her work life, prioritizing her role as a homemaker while still advocating for increased inclusion of women in science. Throughout her career, Yalow was not actively involved in feminist organizations but still recognized the importance of promoting gender diversity in the scientific field.
Yalow’s groundbreaking contributions and accomplishments in medical physics have left an indelible mark on the world. One of her most significant achievements was the development of the radioimmunoassay technique, for which she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1977. Yalow shared this honor with Roger Guillemin and Andrew Schally. Notably, Yalow became the second woman (after Gerty Cori) and the first American-born woman to receive this prestigious accolade.
Awards:
– 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with Roger Guillemin and Andrew Schally) for the development of the radioimmunoassay technique.