Dr Tikvah Alper: a short history of her scientific career

Abstract

Purpose

This article can only skim the surface of an extraordinary career of Dr Alper from the early days in South Africa and throughout her life.

Conclusions

She overcame many obstacles to become widely acknowledged as having had an immense effect on the study of radiation biology. Her very considerable personal scientific achievements in no way prevented her from taking time to help and inspire others in the field as well as maintaining a long and happy family life. If an example is needed to show what can be achieved with a combination of total intellectual integrity and determined application, then Tikvah Alper certainly provided this.

Keywords:

• Radiobiology history
• Tikvah Alper
• survival curve shape
• scrapie agent

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter G. Coultas

Dr Peter G Coultas completed his Ph.D. in 1971, based on work carried out earlier in the Physics Department, Royal Marsden Hospital, University of London. He then joined the staff of the MRC Experimental Pathology Unit/MRC Cyclotron Unit (1972–1988), when his scientific development was very much influenced by Dr Tikvah Alper. Prior to retirement he spent periods undertaking radiobiological research at The Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA and the Peter McCallum Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

John W. Hopewell

Professor John W. Hopewell was the Director of Radiobiological Research, University of Oxford, between 1980 and 2001. His primary research interest has been the study of different aspects of normal tissue toxicity related to radiotherapy: pathogenesis, fractionation and dose-rate, volume effects and retreatment.