Janet Rowley

Janet Davison Rowley (April 5, 1925 – December 17,

2013) was an American human geneticist and the first Janet Rowley
scientist to identify a chromosomal translocation as the
cause of leukemia and other cancers, thus proving that
cancer is a genetic disease.[1][2][3] Rowley spent the
majority of her life working in Chicago and received
many awards and honors throughout her life,
recognizing her achievements and contributions in the
area of genetics.

Early life and education

Rowley at the White House in August 2009
Janet Davison was born in New York City in 1925, the Born Janet Davison
only child of Hurford and Ethel Ballantyne Davison. April 5, 1925
Her father held a master of business administration New York City, New York
degree from Harvard Business School, and her mother Died December 17, 2013 (aged 88)
a master's degree in education from Columbia Chicago, Illinois
University. Her parents were educators at the college
Alma mater University of Chicago
and high school levels, respectively, and her mother
later gave up teaching to become a school librarian. Known for Identification chromosomal
translocation as the cause of
Davison attended an academically challenging junior leukemia and other cancers
high school in New Jersey and became especially Awards William Allan Award (1991)
interested in science. In 1940, aged 15, she was
National Medal of Science (1998)
granted a scholarship to study in an advanced
placement program at the University of Chicago Gruber Prize in Genetics (2009)
Laboratory Schools where she finished high school and Presidential Medal of Freedom
the first two years of college, followed by completion (2009)
of her degree at the University of Chicago, where she Pearl Meister Greengard Prize
earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1944, a (2010)
Bachelor of Science degree in 1946, and Doctor of
Japan Prize (2012)
Medicine degree in 1948, aged 23. Davison, only 19
Albany Medical Center Prize
years of age, had to wait 9 months in order to attend
(2013)
the university because their quota had already been
filled for that semester.[4] During that time only 3 out Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical
of 65 students were to be women in each class Research Award (1998)
accepted.[4] She married Donald Adams Rowley, also a Scientific career
physician, the day after graduating from medical Institutions University of Chicago
school. He then went on to become a distinguished
pathologist later in life.[5] In 1951, both Janet and
Donald Rowley completed internships at the United States Public Health Service's Marine Hospital in
Chicago.[6] Rowley continued her work throughout Chicago and worked in a clinic for children with
Down Syndrome.[4] Rowley worked part-time until the youngest of her four sons was 12 years old.

Career
After earning her medical license in 1951, Dr. Rowley worked as
attending physician at the Infant and Prenatal Clinics in the
Department of Public Health, Montgomery County, Maryland. In
1955 she took up a research post at Chicago's Dr. Julian Levinson
Foundation, a clinic for children with developmental disabilities,
where she remained until 1961. She also taught neurology at the
University of Illinois College of Medicine. Rowley discusses her life and
career.
In 1962, Rowley's interest in cancer and chromosomes was
sparked as an NIH trainee, studying the pattern DNA replication in
normal and abnormal human chromosomes.[4] Dr. Rowley then returned to the University of Chicago, as
a research associate in the Department of Hematology. She became an associate professor in 1969 and a
full professor in 1977. In the 1970s, she further developed the use of existing methods of quinacrine
fluorescence and Giemsa staining to identify chromosomes, and demonstrated that the abnormal
Philadelphia chromosome implicated in certain types of leukemia was involved in a translocation with
chromosome 9 in some cases. Translocation is the process by which a piece of one chromosome breaks
off and joins another chromosome, or when two chromosomes exchange material when both break. She
also identified translocation between chromosomes 8 and 21 in acute myelogenous leukemia, and
between 15 and 17 in promyelocytic leukemia.[7] Rowley also aided in the discovery, through her
research, of the formation of retinoid acid, a drug that is able to help return normal function to certain
protein receptors.[5]

The first chromosomal translocation was discovered by Rowley in 1972 in acute myelogenous
leukemia.[8] When Dr. Rowley published her findings in the 1970s, she argued that specific translocations
caused specific diseases, going against the established view of the cause of cancer which gave little
significance to chromosomal abnormalities.[7] Although there was some resistance to her ideas at first,
her work has proven immensely influential, and by 1990 over seventy translocations had been identified
across different cancers.

Awards and honors

In 1984, Dr. Rowley was made the Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor of medicine, cell biology,
molecular and human genetics at the University of Chicago.[6] She also served as the interim deputy dean
for science. In 1989, she was not only presented with the Charles S. Mott Prize by General Motors
Cancer Research Foundation, but the Clowes Memorial Award as well.[4] In 1991, she was elected as a
member into the American Philosophical Society.[4] In 1998, she was one of three scientists awarded the
prestigious Lasker Award for their work on translocation, and received the National Medal of Science in
1998.[9] In 1999, Dr. Rowley received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of
Achievement.[10] In 2002, Discover magazine recognized her as one of the 50 most important women in
science.[11] In 2003, she received the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the
Sciences of the American Philosophical Society.[12] In 2007, she was awarded the Award for Excellence
in Molecular Diagnostics by the Association for Molecular Pathology.[13] In 2009, Dr. Rowley was
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom,[14] the United States' highest civilian honor, by then-
President Barack Obama,[6] and the Gruber Prize in Genetics. Then in 2010, she was awarded the Jesse
Stevenson Kovalenko Medal by the National Academy of Sciences.[4] In 2012, Dr. Rowley was selected
for the Hope Funds for Cancer Research Award of excellence in the area of Basic Research and was
elected to the Hope Funds Scientific Advisory Board. Also in 2012, she won the Japan Prize for
Healthcare and Medical Technology with two other scientists for her role in the creation of Gleevec.[4][15]
For Rowley's scientific contributions she has received honorary doctor of science degrees from multiple
institutions some of which include Yale University and Harvard University.[6] She is also a member of
multiple scientific and honorary societies. These distinguished groups include the American Academy of
Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.[6] She published more than five hundred articles
and continued her research at the University of Chicago until shortly before her death. In 2017, she was
posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.[16][17]

Death
On December 17, 2013, Rowley died at home at the age of 88 from complications of ovarian
cancer.[6][17]

References

1. Druker, Brian J. (2014). "Janet Rowley (1925–2013) Geneticist who discovered that
broken chromosomes cause cancer" (https://doi.org/10.1038%2F505484a). Nature. 505
(7484): 484. Bibcode:2014Natur.505..484D (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014Natu
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PMID 24451535 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24451535).
Rowley, J. D. (2013). "A Story of Swapped Ends". Science. 340 (6139): 1412–1413.
Bibcode:2013Sci...340.1412R (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013Sci...340.1412R).
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Novak, K. (2006). "Profile: Janet Rowley" (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnm0106-10).
Nature Medicine. 12 (1): 10. doi:10.1038/nm0106-10 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnm010
6-10). PMID 16397540 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16397540). S2CID 36113381
(https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:36113381).
Olopade, O. I. (2014). "Obituary: Janet Davison Rowley 1925–2013" (https://doi.org/10.1
016%2Fj.cell.2014.01.015). Cell. 156 (3): 390–1. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.01.015 (https://
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rg/10.1016%2Fj.ccr.2013.12.020). Cancer Cell. 25 (1): 1–2.
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 2. Kreuzer, K. A.; Borregaard, N (2014). "In memoriam Janet D. Rowley (1925–2013) and
John M. Goldman (1938–2013)". European Journal of Haematology. 92 (4): 275.
doi:10.1111/ejh.12295 (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fejh.12295). S2CID 73068763 (https://
api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:73068763).
Hokland, P (2014). "Janet Rowley 1925–2013: A rock star of haematology and genetics"
(https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fbjh.12808). British Journal of Haematology. 165 (3): 269–70.
doi:10.1111/bjh.12808 (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fbjh.12808). PMID 24588512 (https://p
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Greaves, M (2014). "Retrospective. Janet Rowley (1925–2013)". Science. 343 (6171):
626. doi:10.1126/science.1251005 (https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.1251005).
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Mitelman, F (2014). "Janet D. Rowley 1925–2013". Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer.
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3. "Rowley, Janet D." (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/janet-d-rowley/) National
Women’s Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
4. "Janet D. Rowley, MD" (https://www.aacr.org:443/Membership/Pages/FellowDetailsNoModa
l.aspx?ItemID=79). www.aacr.org. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
5. Druker, Brian J. (January 22, 2014). "Janet Rowley (1925-2013)" (https://doi.org/10.1038%2
F505484a). Nature. 505 (7484): 484. Bibcode:2014Natur.505..484D (https://ui.adsabs.harva
rd.edu/abs/2014Natur.505..484D). doi:10.1038/505484a (https://doi.org/10.1038%2F505484
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6. "Janet Rowley, cancer genetics pioneer, 1925-2013" (https://news.uchicago.edu/story/janet-r
owley-cancer-genetics-pioneer-1925-2013). University of Chicago News. Retrieved
November 18, 2019."Rowley, Janet D." (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/janet-d-ro
wley/) National Women’s Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
7. Wapner J. The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Genetic Mystery, a Lethal Cancer, and the
Improbable Invention of a Lifesaving Treatment. ISBN 9781615191970
8. "Janet D. Rowley" (https://www.hematology.org/About/History/Legends/2091.aspx).
www.hematology.org. June 5, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
9. National Science Foundation – The President's National Medal of Science (https://www.nsf.
gov/od/nms/recip_details.cfm?recip_id=300). Nsf.gov. Retrieved on May 9, 2016.
10. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement" (https://achievement.or
g/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration). www.achievement.org. American
Academy of Achievement.
11. Svitil, Kathy (November 13, 2002). "The 50 Most Important Women in Science" (http://discov
ermagazine.com/2002/nov/feat50/). Discover. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
12. "Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences Recipients" (http://
www.amphilsoc.org/prizes/franklinscience). American Philosophical Society. Retrieved
November 26, 2011.
13. "Past Recipients" (https://www.amp.org/membership/awards-grants-honors/amp-award-for-e
xcellence-in-molecular-diagnostics/past-recipients/). Association for Molecular Pathology.
Retrieved April 12, 2023.
14. "President Obama Names Medal of Freedom Recipients" (https://obamawhitehouse.archive
s.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Names-Medal-of-Freedom-Recipients/), White
House Office of the Press Secretary, July 30, 2009
15. Laureates of the Japan Prize (http://www.japanprize.jp/en/laureates_by_year.html).
japanprize.jp
16. Posted: Sep 17, 2017 12:53 AM EDT (September 17, 2017). "Ten women added to National
Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca" (https://web.archive.org/web/20170928150049/http://ww
w.localsyr.com/news/local-news/ten-women-added-to-national-womens-hall-of-fame-in-sene
ca-falls/812712663). Localsyr.com. Archived from the original (http://www.localsyr.com/new
s/local-news/ten-women-added-to-national-womens-hall-of-fame-in-seneca-falls/81271266
3) on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
17. "Cancer Genetics Pioneer Dies" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/18/janet-rowley-de
ad-cancer-genetics-dies_n_4467019.html). Huffington Post. December 18, 2013.

Further reading
National Library of Medicine."Biography: Dr. Janet Davison Rowley" (https://www.nlm.nih.go
v/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_282.html).
The University of Chicago Medical Center."Janet Rowley, MD, receives Presidential Medal
of Freedom for cancer chromosome studies" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160816175138/
http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2009/20090730-rowley.html). Archived from the original (ht
tp://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2009/20090730-rowley.html) on August 16, 2016. Retrieved
July 30, 2009., 2009
The University of Chicago Medical Center."Janet Rowley, MD, awarded Gruber Genetics
Prize for chromosome studies" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160816150439/http://www.uc
hospitals.edu/news/2009/20090701-gruber.html). Archived from the original (http://www.uch
ospitals.edu/news/2009/20090701-gruber.html) on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 30,
2009., 2009
The University of Chicago Medical Center."Janet Rowley, MD, receives prestigious National
Medal of Science at White House ceremony" (https://web.archive.org/web/2016081616453
0/http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/1999/19990427-rowley-nms-cerem.html). Archived from
the original (http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/1999/19990427-rowley-nms-cerem.html) on
August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2009., April 27, 1999
The University of Chicago Medical Center."1998 Lasker Award to Janet Rowley" (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20160624005420/http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/1998/19980920-rowle
y-lasker.html). Archived from the original (http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/1998/19980920-r
owley-lasker.html) on June 24, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2009., 1998

External links
Guide to the Janet D. Rowley Papers 1940-2013 (https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findin
gaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.ROWLEYJ) at the University of Chicago Special
Collections Research Center (https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/scrc/)

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