Ora Mendelsohn Rosen facts for kids

Ora Mendelsohn Rosen (born October 26, 1935 – died May 30, 1990) was an American scientist. She studied how hormones, especially insulin, help control how cells grow. She taught at important medical schools like the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She was also chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences, which is a big honor for scientists.

Ora's Early Life

Ora Mendelsohn Rosen grew up in Manhattan, a part of New York City. Her father, Isaac Mendelsohn, taught languages at Columbia University. Her mother, Fanny Soier, helped students with reading. Ora had a brother named Ezra, who became a history professor.

Ora loved science from a young age. She studied biology at Barnard College and finished in 1956. That same year, she married Samuel Rosen, who was a doctor. They had two sons together. Ora then went on to get her medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1960.

Her Amazing Career

After becoming a doctor, Ora Rosen started doing research. She worked on biochemistry, which is the study of chemicals in living things. She also studied cell biology, which is about how cells work. She did this research at New York University.

In 1966, Ora became a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She quickly moved up, becoming a full professor in 1975. She led important departments there, like the molecular pharmacology department and the endocrinology division.

In 1984, Ora moved to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. This is a famous place for cancer research. There, she led a special lab that studied how cells develop. After her first husband passed away, Ora married Jerard Hurwitz, who was also a scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Studying Insulin and Cell Growth

Ora Rosen's main research was about how hormones, especially insulin, control how cells grow and develop. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body use sugar for energy.

In 1985, Ora and her team made a huge discovery. They were able to copy the human insulin receptor gene. Think of the insulin receptor as a special "door" on a cell. Insulin needs to "knock" on this door to get its message inside the cell.

This breakthrough helped Ora and her colleagues understand how signals from outside a cell get inside. This knowledge is very important for understanding diseases like diabetes and even cancer.

Awards and Recognition

Because of her important research, Ora Rosen received many honors. In 1989, she was given the Banting Medal, which is a very important award for diabetes research. She was also chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences. This shows how much her work was valued by other scientists. She also received an award from the American Medical Women's Association.

Her Passing

Ora Mendelsohn Rosen sadly passed away in New York City on May 30, 1990. She was 54 years old and died from breast cancer. Her work continues to help scientists understand how our bodies work.