Today in Wheeling History: November 18--Mary Louise Snider Efron, a pioneering medical researcher known for her work in detecting amino acid deficiencies and PKU in newborns, was born in Wheeling (1926).
Mary Louise Snider Efron was born on November 18, 1926, at Wheeling Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia. She grew up in Wheeling, attending Mount de Chantal Academy, where she excelled academically. Efron received a scholarship to Barnard College, where she earned her BA degree. She then graduated with honors from Harvard Medical School, showcasing her dedication and intellect.
Efron married Robert Efron, also a medical doctor, and they had three children: Carol, Paul, and Sonni. Her career in medical research began at University College Hospital in London, where she gained laboratory experience in human metabolism. She contributed significantly to the development of new methods for investigating the urinary excretion of amino acids. Efron later became a research associate in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and an assistant in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
In the Joseph P. Kennedy laboratory at Harvard Medical School, Efron developed new methodologies for detecting disorders of amino acids, becoming a leading researcher in the field of mental retardation and children's diseases. Her work led to the development of mass screening programs for newborn infants to detect amino acid deficiencies and PKU, a practice now required worldwide.
Mary Louise Snider Efron passed away on September 2, 1967, at the age of 40 from lupus. She is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling. Her contributions to medical research have left a lasting impact on the field of neurology and pediatrics.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/gZQiD); Find a Grave (https://shorturl.at/nqDN4)
Mary Louise Snider Efron was born on November 18, 1926, at Wheeling Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia. She grew up in Wheeling, attending Mount de Chantal Academy, where she excelled academically. Efron received a scholarship to Barnard College, where she earned her BA degree. She then graduated with honors from Harvard Medical School, showcasing her dedication and intellect.
Efron married Robert Efron, also a medical doctor, and they had three children: Carol, Paul, and Sonni. Her career in medical research began at University College Hospital in London, where she gained laboratory experience in human metabolism. She contributed significantly to the development of new methods for investigating the urinary excretion of amino acids. Efron later became a research associate in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and an assistant in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
In the Joseph P. Kennedy laboratory at Harvard Medical School, Efron developed new methodologies for detecting disorders of amino acids, becoming a leading researcher in the field of mental retardation and children's diseases. Her work led to the development of mass screening programs for newborn infants to detect amino acid deficiencies and PKU, a practice now required worldwide.
Mary Louise Snider Efron passed away on September 2, 1967, at the age of 40 from lupus. She is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling. Her contributions to medical research have left a lasting impact on the field of neurology and pediatrics.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/gZQiD); Find a Grave (https://shorturl.at/nqDN4)
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