Jean R. Bybee '68: Celebrates her 50th anniversary as a JAX summer student

Fifty years ago, I was selected for one of the coveted positions in the College Student Summer Program. There were 450 applicants at that time. It was my lifetime dream to be a tiny part of the cancer and genetics research at The Jackson Laboratory. During the summer of 1968, I used a technique of skin grafting on tails of inbred strains of mice to answer one small question in transplantation genetics.

I have worked in the medical field for almost 50 years. As a medical technologist with a specialty in blood banking and then as a physician assistant, I have often used knowledge I obtained from that summer. It has been fascinating to observe the advances in transplantation, human genetics and understanding diseases over the years.

One big lesson from my sponsoring scientist that summer was to commit to give back through teaching, mentoring, encouraging and supporting those who will follow in medical research. Support includes financial contributions that enable promising young scientists to experience a summer of research at JAX. I decided an appropriate way to celebrate my 50-year anniversary of my summer doing research was to sponsor two students.

I would like to recognize my sponsor-scientist, the late Dr. Donald W. Bailey, and Dr. Larry Mobraaten, who was his research assistant. Other distinguished scientists from the summer of 1968 were Dr. Clarence C. Little, Dr. George Snell and Dr. Victor McKusick. These five scientists were significant to me throughout my career. Their legacy lives on through continuing research and the young scientists who will encounter their valuable contributions.

—Jean R. Bybee '68

Want to make a difference for future JAX scientists? Discover how you can make a lasting impact with a gift. To get started, contact Nancy Fox, M.B.A. at 1-800-474-9880 or planmygift@jax.org.