Philippa Marrack

Philippa Marrack, FRS (born 28 June 1945) is an English immunologist and academic, based in the United States, best known for her research and discoveries pertaining to T cells. Marrack is the Ida and Cecil Green Professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Research at National Jewish Health and a distinguished professor of immunology and microbiology at the University of Colorado Denver.

Biography Marrack was born in Ewell, England on 28 June 1945. Born in England, she maintains her British and American citizenship currently. Marrack's father served in the Royal Navy, so her family moved frequently throughout her childhood. Marrack notes that the longest she lived in one place during her early years was in Cambridge where she began pursuing her undergraduate degree. Marrack and Kappler have two children together. Outside of science, Philippa Marrack enjoys playing the piano, as well as running along the Platte River with her Labradors. She credits Dutton as having a tremendous impact on her career during her fellowship, as he taught her how to write, lecture, and run a lab, as well as how to think critically. At the same time, she received independent funding from the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society to study T cells. Marrack obtained an associate professorship at the University of Rochester, followed by faculty positions at the National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado and the University of Colorado Denver. She was also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Throughout her career, Marrack has published over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles. Her numerous citations and journal articles places her as the third most influential researcher in the nation and distinguishes her as top female researcher. Marrack's current research projects focus on why certain autoimmune diseases, like lupus or Multiple sclerosis, are more prevalent in women than in men. Marrack and Kappler have recently discovered a population of B cells that may account for some of this observation. Her pioneering and revolutionary work isolating the T-cell receptor and describing how T cells protect against infection, drive autoimmune and allergic diseases, and play a possible role in rejection of cancers, has contributed greatly to the current understanding of vaccines, HIV, and immune disorders in the medical field.

Professional activities Marrack has served on editorial boards and many scientific journals including Cell, Science, and the Journal of Immunology. She has also served on various boards and panels for the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health, and the Burroughs Welcome Fund. From 1986 to 2017, Marrack was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. From 1995 to 2002, Marrack served on the American Association of Immunologists Council and served as president of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) from 2000 to 2001. 1991 – Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 1992 – The Ernst W. Bertner Memorial Award (MD Anderson Cancer Center) 1993 – Cancer Research Institute William B. Coley Award 1993 – Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 1994 – Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (Columbia University) 1996 – Honorary Doctorate of Sciences, Macalester College 1998 – The Rabbi Shai Shacknai Memorial Prize 1999 – Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Award 1999 – Howard Taylor Ricketts Prize (University of Chicago) 2000 – Lifetime Achievement Award, American Association of Immunologists 2001 – Irvington Institute Scientific Leadership Award in Immunology 2002 – Fellow, The Academy of Medical Sciences 2003 – American Association of Immunologists Lifetime Achievement Award 2003 – Faculty Ambassador Award, National Jewish Health 2004 – Bonfils Stanton Award for Science 2004 – L'Oreal UNESCO Women in Science Award 2004 – National Jewish Health Abraham J. Kauvar Presidential Award 2004 – University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Mentoring Award 2006 – 2008 – Elected member, National Academy of Medicine 2010 – Inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame 2015 – Wolf Prize in Medicine 2015 – Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame 2016 – Novartis Prize for Basic Immunology 2019 – Clarivate Citation Laureate 2024 - Recipient of an honorary degree from Rockefeller University