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#24 from my Women in STEM series: Sarah Stewart

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Sarah Stewart (1905-1976) was an oncologist of mixed Mexican and American descent. After earning a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Chicago in 1939, she worked as a professor of bacteriology at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and 1949, she became the first woman to be awarded an M.D. degree from the school. She took a position at NIH in 1951, where, alongside her colleague Bernice Eddy, they discovered the SE (Stewart-Eddy) polyoma virus, one of the first viruses shown to cause cancer in multiple animals. They were also the first to show that cancer-causing viruses could be transmitted from animal to animal. Stewart's research advanced the understanding of viruses and cancer and laid the groundwork for discoveries, including the identification of human papillomavirus (HPV) as a cause of cervical cancer, which led to the development of the HPV vaccine. She was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize and received numerous awards and honors.
February 9, 2025 at 4:19 PM