Katharine D. McCormick Distinguished Lecture Series

For over thirty years, the McCormick Distinguished Lecture Series has played an important role in the Stanford community, highlighting the accomplishments of distinguished women in the fields of medicine and science. This series hosts a national woman leader in science who gives a presentation on her science and on challenges and strategies for success as a woman in science. 

This lectureship has not only contributed to advancing knowledge in speakers’ respective fields, but has also personified the vastly important strides women have made over the last few decades. Katharine McCormick, after whom the lecture series is named, was a pioneering scientist and philanthropist.

The Lecture Series serves to reflect McCormick’s lifelong support of women’s rights. Her legacy of courage and innovation epitomizes the aspirations and values of OFDD and continues to serve as an inspiration in the office’s work moving forward.

Over thirty women scientists have served as McCormick Distinguished speakers. Recent past speakers include:

2022 Mina J. Bissell, PhD "Why Don't We Get More Cancer: The critical role of extracellular matrix and microenvironment in malignancy and dormancy?"
2021 Melissa Moore, PhD "mRNA as Medicine"
2019 Titia de Lange "Telomeres and the DNA damage response"
2018 Aviv Regev, PhD “Reconstructing circuits - the power of random”
2017 Evangelina Nogales “Visualization of macromolecular structure, dynamics and interactions by cryo-EM” 
2016 Jennifer Doudna, PhD “CRISPR biology and the new era of genome engineering” 
2015 Catherine DuLac, PhD “Molecular and Neuronal Basis of Innate Behaviors in the Mouse”    
2014  Pamela Bjorkman, PhD  “Structure-Based Design of Improved Antibodies for HIV treatment or prevention”    
2013  Cori Bargmann, PhD “Behavioral States and Flexible Behaviors”    
2012 Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, PhD  “The Development of Color Patterns in Fishes: Towards an Understanding of the Evolution of Beauty”    
2009 Carol Greider, PhD  “Telomerase and the Consequences of Telomere Dysfunction”    
2008     Elizabeth Nabel, MD “Genomic Medicine and Progeria: Cardiovascular Insights Gained from Premature Aging”    
2006 Linda Buck, PhD “Deconstructing Smell”    
2004 Huda Zoghbi, MD  “Breaking Down the Pathogenesis of a Neurodegenerative Disease Using Cross-Species Studies”    
2004 Carol Prives, PhD “Regulation of the p53-Mdm2 Circuit: A major Checkpoint in Mammalian Cells”    

Who was Katharine D. McCormick?

A philanthropist and a women’s rights activist, learn why her history and legacy with Stanford University is so important.