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Kripke Legend Award salutes champion of gender equality

Promise - Summer 2012


By Scott Merville

Nancy Hopkins, Ph.D., is the 2012 Kripke Award recipient. 
She is a prominent advocate of equality for women in 
science.
Photo courtesy of MIT

Nancy Hopkins, Ph.D., noted cancer biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is the 2012 recipient of the Margaret L. Kripke Legend Award for Promotion of Women in Cancer Medicine and Cancer Science.

The Kripke Legend Award recognizes scientific and medical leaders who have made extraordinary efforts to hire a diverse workforce and advance women’s careers. It honors Professor Emerita Margaret Kripke, Ph.D., a distinguished scientist who achieved many firsts for women at MD Anderson, culminating in her promotion to executive vice president and chief academic officer.

“At a time when gender equity issues were not discussed in academia, Nancy Hopkins took the responsibility to shine a light on inequities for women faculty at MIT,” says Elizabeth Travis, Ph.D., MD Anderson associate vice president of Women Faculty Programs, which sponsors the award. “Women faculty are better positioned to succeed because of her unwavering advocacy, and our institutions are stronger.”

Hopkins led MIT’s first Committee on Women Faculty in the School of Science. The group’s 1999 report showed marked disparities between opportunities and treatment for male and female faculty members. The report led to numerous improvements in the status and number of women faculty at MIT and increased awareness on campuses around the nation.

“I’m profoundly honored to receive this award,” says Hopkins. “I thank 
MD Anderson for its leadership on behalf of all women in cancer research and medicine.”

Promise - Summer 2012


© 2013 The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center