Mary Letitia Caldwell (1890-1972), American biochemist, was the first female assistant professor, the only female member of the senior faculty, and full professor in 1948 at Columbia. Caldwell carried a heavy teaching load and ran an intense research program in nutrition and biochemistry. Her major research topic was amylase, an enzyme that decomposes starches. She determined methods for the purification of amylase and studied crystalline porcine pancreatic amylase. Caldwell suffered from a muscular disorder, with her office on the 9th floor of a building with no elevators, thus contributing to her leaving academe in 1959. Caldwell was Marie Daly's thesis advisor. Daly said that Caldwell inspired her students with her respect, technical excellence, research expertise and exhibited a sense of concern for each student's welfare. Caldwell retired from Columbia in 1959 and was awarded the Garvan Medal in 1960.

Mary Letitia Caldwell: Educator, researcher, model, and mentor

244th National Meeting (2012)

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