10/06/2025
Congratulations to UW Biology alum Mary Brunkow ('83) on winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine!
-- University of Washington alum Mary Brunkow, ’83, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine this morning!
This photo was taken while she was on the phone with the Nobel Committee in Sweden. Mary said she initially missed the call because a strange number popped up on her phone — she thought it might be spam. 😅
Mary graduated from the UW with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology and currently works at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. Congratulations to Mary on this huge achievement! 🎉
She shares the award with Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their groundbreaking discoveries on how the human immune system fights disease without mistakenly attacking the body’s own cells. Their research is helping scientists develop new therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and may also reduce complications from organ transplants.https://www.washington.edu/boundless/uw-alum-awarded-nobel-prize-in-medicine/
Photography by AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson