Carolyn Widney Greider
Personal Information
Born: 1961
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
UC Santa Barbara College of Creative Studies BA Biology 1983; UC Berkeley PhD Molecular Biology 1987
Professional Life
Field of Study: Molecular Biology
Institution/Corporation: Johns Hopkins University; Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory; UC Santa Cruz
Degrees & Memberships: Member: American Society for Cell Biology (1999), Fellow American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2003), National Academy of Sciences (2003), American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2004), Institute of Medicine (2010), American Philosophical Society (2016)
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 2009, Nobel Prize Physiology or Medicine (with Elizabeth Blackburn & Jack W. Szostak); 2003, Richard Lounsbery Award, National Academy of Science; 2006, Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (with Blackburn & Szostak); 2007, Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia University (with Blackburn & Joseph G. Gall); 1990-94, Pew Scholar in the Medical Sciences; 1998, Gairdner Foundation International Award; 1998, Rosenstiel Award in Basic Medical Research (with Blackburn); 2000, Harvey Society Lecture; 2000, Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award; 2006, Lila Gruber Cancer Research Award; 2006, Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (with Blackburn); 2007, Dickson Prize in Medicine; 2008, The Pearl Meister Greengard Prize (with Blackburn & Vivki Lundblad); 2009, Paul Ehrlich & Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize (with Blackburn); 2019, Pinnacle Award, Association for Women in Science; 2022, Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics, Association for Molecular Pathology
Achievements: with Elizabeth Blackburn identified telomerase, the enzyme that makes telemere DNA, key to aging process & growth of cancer cells; overcame her dyslexia through memorization
Her mother died when she was 7; her father gave her a great deal of room to develop a sense of independence
Was dyslexic & had a difficult time in school
Was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Elizabeth Blackburn & Jack Szostak for the discovery & work with telomerase, the enzyme that makes telomere DNA, is the key to the aging process & the growth of cancer cells
Applied to 13 graduate schools & was accepted by only 2 due to her low GRE scores she attributed to her dyslexia Holds 3 patents