Loretta VanCamp: Spartan, lab supervisor, lifesaver
The foundation for one of the most successful modern treatments of cancer was first discovered in a Michigan State University lab in the mid-1960s. As lab supervisor, MSU microbiologist and researcher Loretta VanCamp played a critical role in the breakthrough development of the world’s leading anti-cancer drugs cisplatin and carboplatin alongside MSU biophysicist Barnett Rosenberg and then-graduate student Thomas Krigas.
VanCamp, an MSU alumna who passed away in 2006 at 80 years old, was driven by the desire to help others when she chose her career path.
“I came here because Michigan State was one of the best med tech schools in the country,” VanCamp said. “I always wanted to do something to help people. I chose med tech when they told me that was as close to becoming a doctor as I could without going through the hassle of a woman trying to become a doctor in a man s world.”