Constance Cepko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Connie Cepko
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Constance Louise Cepko
Laurel, Maryland, U.S.
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| Thesis | Interactions of the Adenovirus 100k and Hexon Proteins: Analysis using Monoclonal Antibodies and Temperature Sensitive Mutants (1982) |
| Doctoral advisor | Phillip Allen Sharp |
| Other academic advisors | Richard Mulligan |
Constance Louise Cepko is a scientist at Harvard Medical School. She studies how living things grow and how genes work. She is famous for helping us understand how the brain and spinal cord (called the central nervous system) develop in animals with backbones.
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Early Life and Education
Connie Cepko was born in Laurel, Maryland, in the United States. She went to the University of Maryland. There, she earned a degree in biochemistry and microbiology. This means she studied the chemistry of living things and tiny living organisms like bacteria.
Advanced Studies
Later, she earned her Ph.D. (a high-level science degree) from MIT in 1982. Her advisor there was a famous scientist named Phil Sharp.
Career and Research
After getting her Ph.D., Dr. Cepko worked with another scientist, Richard C. Mulligan. She studied special tools called retroviral vectors. These are like tiny delivery systems that can carry new genes into cells.
Studying the Retina
Dr. Cepko used these tools to learn how the retina develops. The retina is the part of your eye that senses light. Her work helped scientists understand how the cells in the retina grow and organize themselves.
Leadership at Harvard
She also served as the head of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences graduate program at Harvard Medical School. This program helps train new scientists who are studying biology and medicine.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Cepko's important work has earned her many honors.
National Academy of Sciences
In 2002, she was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United States.
Bressler Prize
In 2011, she received the Bressler Prize in Vision Science. This award is given to scientists who have done great work in understanding vision and eye development.
Lisman Memorial Lecture
In 2019, Brandeis University invited her to give the Lisman Memorial Lecture in Vision Science. This is a special talk given by leading experts in vision science.
