Elizabeth Simons ChE’50

Elizabeth R. Simons, PhD is Emeritus Professor, Biochemistry at Boston University School of medicine.    After graduating from the Cooper Union in 1950, She went to Yale where she received both her MS and PhD in Physical Chemistry.  She taught for 3 years at Wellesley College and then took a research and teaching position at Harvard Medical School, where she was told only men could be given the title professor.

She left Harvard for Boston University School of Medicine (BSUM) in 1972, where she began as an assistant professor. She began applying principles from physical chemistry to the study of blood cells.  She made numerous advances in the understanding of sickle cells and in the understanding of platelet cells.  She has also made discoveries in the study of Alzheimer’s Disease.  She has trained 75 post doctorate fellow in her laboratory at BUSM.  And  for many years she was Assistant Director of the Office of Medical Education for the Pre-clinical years at BUSM.  She retired from BSUM in 2012.

She received the CUAA Gano Dunn Award in 2004 and was inducted into the Cooper Union Hall of Fame in 2009.

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Profile on Boston University Website Link