Ruth Sager
Encyclopedia
Ruth Sager was an eminent American geneticist
. Sager enjoyed two scientific careers. Her first was in the 1950s and 1960s when she pioneered the field of cytoplasmic genetics. Her second career began in the early 1970s and was in cancer genetics; she proposed and investigated the roles of tumor suppressor genes.
Ruth Sager was born in Chicago, Illinois, one of three daughters of Leon B. Sager,an advertising executive,and Deborah Borovik. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago
in 1938, master's degree in plant physiology from Rutgers University
in 1944 and doctorate in maize
genetics under Marcus Rhoades from Columbia University
in 1948.
She then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Rockefeller Institute on the chloroplast
from 1949 to 1951 and from 1951 to 1955 was a staff member at the Rockefeller, using the alga Chlamydomonas
reinhardi as a model organism. She was a research scientist from 1955 to 1965 at Columbia.
Although her research was highly original and productive, she was not given a faculty position until 1966, 18 years after receiving her doctorate, when Hunter College
invited her to be a Professor of Biology.
In 1975 she joined the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School
as a Professor of Cellular Genetics. Her laboratory was at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
where she was Chief of the Division of Cancer Genetics. In 1988 Sagar was awarded the Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal
from the National Academy of Sciences
. She died of bladder cancer
in Brookline, Massachusetts
.
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
. Sager enjoyed two scientific careers. Her first was in the 1950s and 1960s when she pioneered the field of cytoplasmic genetics. Her second career began in the early 1970s and was in cancer genetics; she proposed and investigated the roles of tumor suppressor genes.
Ruth Sager was born in Chicago, Illinois, one of three daughters of Leon B. Sager,an advertising executive,and Deborah Borovik. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1938, master's degree in plant physiology from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1944 and doctorate in maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
genetics under Marcus Rhoades from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1948.
She then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Rockefeller Institute on the chloroplast
Chloroplast
Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryotic organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve free energy in the form of ATP and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis.Chloroplasts are green...
from 1949 to 1951 and from 1951 to 1955 was a staff member at the Rockefeller, using the alga Chlamydomonas
Chlamydomonas
Chlamydomonas is a genus of green algae. They are unicellular flagellates. Chlamydomonas is used as a model organism for molecular biology, especially studies of flagellar motility and chloroplast dynamics, biogenesis, and genetics...
reinhardi as a model organism. She was a research scientist from 1955 to 1965 at Columbia.
Although her research was highly original and productive, she was not given a faculty position until 1966, 18 years after receiving her doctorate, when Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
invited her to be a Professor of Biology.
In 1975 she joined the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
as a Professor of Cellular Genetics. Her laboratory was at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is part of a Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute. It is a major affiliate of Harvard Medical School and is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts.-Overview:...
where she was Chief of the Division of Cancer Genetics. In 1988 Sagar was awarded the Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal
Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal
The Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "in recognition of excellence in published research on marine or freshwater algae." It has been awarded every three years since 1979....
from the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. She died of bladder cancer
Bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis...
in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
.