Jewel Plummer Cobb

Jewel Plummer Cobb (1924-2017) was an American cell biologist and cancer researcher widely recognised for her pioneering contributions to the study of melanoma and for advocating for women and people of colour in science.

Cobb was born in Chicago to a family of educators who instilled in her a passion for learning and intellectual curiosity from an early age. Her father was a dermatologist and the first African-American to earn a medical degree at Cornell University, and her mother was a dance teacher who graduated in physical education later in life, at the same time as her daughter.

Cobb started her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan but decided to transfer to Talladega College in Alabama because African-American students at Michigan had to live in segregated off-campus housing and were not accepted in most sororities and fraternities. She earned a Master’s and a PhD degree in cell biology at New York University studying an enzyme involved in melanin synthesis, and was then awarded a fellowship to do a postdoc at the Harlem Hospital Cancer centre.

In 1952, Cobb established her own lab at the University of Illinois Medical School and subsequently served a series of professorship positions at various institutions where she conducted ground-breaking research on the molecular mechanisms of cancer, particularly melanoma.

Cobb married Roy Cobb, an insurance salesman, in 1954. The couple has one son, Jonathan, and got divorced a couple of years before she was appointed dean at Connecticut College. As a single mom, Cobb raised a successful child who would follow his mother’s steps and become a radiologist specialised in magnetic resonance imaging.

She was one of the first researchers to use tissue culture methods to grow cells removed from patient tumours in the lab to study the behaviour of melanoma cells and the effect of chemicals on their growth. Her research using these pioneering techniques led to important insights into the biology of the disease, including elucidating the relationship between melanin and skin damage. Cobb also discovered that methotrexate could inhibit the growth of melanoma cells, which helped pave the way for the development of new chemotherapy treatments for a variety of cancers that are still used nowadays.

In addition to her scientific contributions, Cobb was also a trailblazer for women and PoC in science. She was the first African-American dean in Connecticut College’s history, and later she became the first African-American woman to lead a research university when she was appointed president of California State University in 1981, among many other achievements.

Throughout her career, Cobb was a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in science, and worked tirelessly to promote opportunities for women and PoC in the field. She served on numerous committees and advisory boards, and was a mentor and role model to many young scientists. She published influential reports with policy recommendations to promote diversity and inclusion in the scientific community, and books and articles to raise awareness of the inequities faced by women of colour in science. For example, in 1979 Cobb published one of her most famous pieces, “Filters For Women in Science,” which describes the many ways in which society discourages young women from pursuing science careers.

Cobb passed away at the age of 92 on January 1, 2017, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Her contributions to the field of science and her advocacy for diversity and inclusion continue to inspire and motivate scientists and advocates around the world.