[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 155 (Friday, November 9, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S11655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NOBEL PRIZE TO DR. LEE HARTWELL

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to share with the Senate and 
the American people the remarkable work of Dr. Lee Hartwell, a 
respected scientist in Washington State. Dr. Hartwell was recently 
awarded the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research in cell 
division and cancer.
  I'm especially proud that Dr. Hartwell conducted much of his research 
at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, where he 
serves as president and director.
  On October 8, 2001, the Nobel Assembly announced that Dr. Hartwell, 
along with Paul Nurse and Timothy Hunt, has won the 2001 Nobel Prize in 
physiology or medicine. The award honors Dr. Hartwell's more than 30 
years of pioneering work in yeast genetics. Dr. Hartwell's research 
into cell division has helped scientists throughout the world to better 
understand cancer and has laid the foundation for future cancer 
treatments.
  Dr. Hartwell leads one of the finest research teams in the world at 
the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In the past five years, 
I've worked in Congress to double funding for the National Institutes 
of Health (NIH). This investment is intended to support the kind of 
groundbreaking research being conducted at the Research Center. In 
fact, as a member of the Senate HELP Committee and the Senate Labor, 
H.H.S. and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, I often point to the 
lifesaving research and care the center provides as an example of why 
this investment in NIH is so important.
  Dr. Hartwell is not just a talented scientist. He is a real champion 
for cancer patients and their families. During consideration of a 
Patients' Bill of Rights, Dr. Hartwell often spoke out on behalf of 
cancer patients and explained the importance of access to clinical 
trials, which is sometimes the only hope for patients. Thanks to the 
advocacy of cancer researchers like Dr. Hartwell, the final legislation 
included this protection for patients.
  Dr. Hartwell was born on October 30, 1939 in Los Angeles, California. 
He earned his Bachelor of Science in 1961 from the California Institute 
of Technology and his Ph.D in 1964 from the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology. From 1965-68, he served as Associate Professor at the 
University of California. In 1968, he joined the faculty of the 
University of Washington and became a professor of genetics in 1973. In 
1997, he became President and Director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer 
Research Center. In 1987, he became a member of the U.S. National 
Academy of Sciences. He has received numerous honors including: the 
General Motors Sloan Award (1991), Gairdner Foundation International 
Award (1992), Genetics Society of America Medal (1994) and the Albert 
Lasker Basic Medical Research Award (1998).
  Dr. Hartwell will be presented with the award on December 10, 2001, 
which is the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, after whom 
the award is named. The Nobel Committee has recognized what we in the 
Northwest have known for a long time; namely that because of Dr. 
Hartwell's hard work and dedication, the world is a better place. It is 
an honor and a distinct pleasure to join with the Nobel Committee in 
formally recognizing Dr. Lee Hartwell's many accomplishments.

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