Jeanne C. Beck, Ph.D.

Professor, Coriell Institute for Medical Research; Director, Coriell Cell Repositories

"My own interest in science and scientific research stems from an affinity for the natural world that pre-dates a deep philosophical commitment to cure disease. However, like most other scientists who have lost loved ones to terrible disease, an interest in understanding biology and chemistry changed readily and deeply into a drive to contribute to the development of the next generation of medical care. The medical care that my parents had is most certainly not the care that I want for myself, and the care that I receive is not the care that I want for my children and my grandchildren. That's the simple vision that drives me."

As Professor and the Director of the Coriell Cell Repositories at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Dr. Jeanne Beck is actively involved in a number of repositories funded by the NIH, the CDC, and the NSF. For one of these, the Cooperative Family Registry for Breast Cancer Studies, she has been building a collection of cell lines from individuals with breast cancer. Another involves the collection of samples from non-human primates.

Dr. Beck received a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed two postdoctoral fellowships - one at Johns Hopkins and one at Harvard University. Following a staff fellowship at the National Institute on Aging, she held faculty positions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.