Jane Cooke Wright

Jane Cooke Wright (November 30, 1919 – February 19, 2013), also known as Jane Jones, was a pioneering cancer researcher and surgeon noted for her contributions to chemotherapy. In particular, Wright is credited with developing the technique of using human tissue culture rather than laboratory mice to test the effects of potential drugs on cancer cells. She also pioneered the use of the drug methotrexate to treat breast cancer and skin cancer (mycosis fungoids).

Early life, family, and education Wright's family had a strong history of academic achievement in medicine. She was born in 1919 in Manhattan, New York, to Corinne Cooke, a public school teacher, and Louis T. Wright, who was one of the first African American graduates from Harvard Medical School. He was the first African American doctor at a public hospital in New York City. During his 30 years working at the Harlem Hospital, he founded and directed the Harlem Hospital Cancer Research Foundation. Louis T. Wright's biological father, Dr. Ceah Ketcham Wright, who was born into slavery but graduated from medical school, before dying when Louis T. Wright was four years old. Louis T. Wright's stepfather was William F. Penn, the first African-American graduate of Yale Medical College. Jane Wright's uncle, Harold Dadford West, was also a physician, who ultimately became the president of Meharry Medical College.

As a child, Wright attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, then the "Ethical Culture" school and the "Fieldston School", After her time at Smith, Wright received another scholarship, to attend the New York Medical College. She graduated as a part of an accelerated three-year program at the top of her class in 1945 with the honors award.

Professional career After medical school, Wright completed residencies at Bellevue Hospital (1945–46) and later at Harlem Hospital (1947–48), where she became the chief resident. In 1949 she joined her father in research at the Harlem Hospital Cancer Research Center, which he had founded,

Wright's research work involved studying the effects of various drugs on tumors. In 1951 with the help of her team she was the first to identify methotrexate, one of the foundational chemotherapy drugs, as an effective tool against cancerous tumors. Wright's early work brought chemotherapy out of the realm of an untested, experimental hypothetical treatment, into the realm of tested, proven effective cancer therapeutics—thus literally saving millions of lives.

In 1955 she accepted a research appointment at the New York University Bellevue Medical Center, as Associate Professor of Surgical Research and Director of Cancer Research. and the President's Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke (1964–65).

Personal life On July 27, 1947, Wright married David D. Jones and the couple had two daughters: Jane Wright Jones and Alison Jones. Her husband was an attorney and became founder of anti-poverty and job training organizations for young African Americans. Unfortunately, in 1976, Mr. Jones died of heart failure. Wright's daughters also grew up to work in the medical field, one becoming a psychiatrist and the other a clinical psychologist. She realized that she lived in a world where men dominated the medical field, but she did not care - she was eager to make contributions to medicine, specifically to the treatment of cancer, and did not let her gender hold her back. Additionally, she lived during a time where black pride was a huge movement, and, being an African American woman, was cognizant of her place in history. Wright was said to be very modest and tender with her patients, while still being very motivated and fearless in their care. If another physician did not have the time or inclination to look into other treatments that might benefit their patient more, Wright would always try. Wright died on February 19, 2013, in Guttenberg, New Jersey, at 93 years old. Her two daughters survive her. Her sister, Barbara Wright Pierce, a.k.a. Dr. Barbara Penn Wright and Mrs. Samuel R. Pierce, Jr. died in her sleep in her Manhattan, NY home on Saturday, November 24, 2018, at the age 94. Damon Runyon Award (1955) Elected to membership in Sigma Xi (1962) "Spirit of Achievement Award", from Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1965) New York City's Harriet Beecher Stowe Junior High, the women's division of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1965) Links (1965) Honorary Doctor of Medical Sciences degree by the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1965) Hadassah Myrtle Wreath Award (1967) Smith Medal from Smith College (1968) American Association for Cancer Research Award (1975) Otelia Cromwell Award from Smith College (1981)

Recognitions Named Award: "Jane C. Wright, MD, Young Investigator Award", created in 2011 by American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Conquer Cancer Foundation Named Lecture: "Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship", from the American Association for Cancer Research, "given to an outstanding scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research." Mentioned in a 2014 episode of Rizzoli and Isles.