On Jun. 4, 2015, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) announced it had named a research building after the late Hildegard Lamfrom, Ph.D., who was one of the 20th century’s most influential and accomplished women in the emerging field of molecular biology during an exceptional career spanning four decades.

The building naming was suggested by OHSU following Gert Boyle’s $100 million gift made as part of the two-year Knight Cancer Challenge fundraising campaign. Lamfrom was one of Boyle’s two sisters and was influential in guiding the early career of Brian Druker, M.D., director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, when he was studying chemistry.

The Hildegard Lamfrom Biomedical Research Building houses some of OHSU’s most impactful research labs. On its 11 floors, researchers are probing the genetic and molecular causes of childhood diseases, uncovering the viral and environmental causes of asthma, researching inflammatory eye diseases, developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and exploring cancer cell signaling, and cell and gene therapies, as well as stem cell production.

In addition, the powerful magnetic resonance imaging systems for the Advanced Imaging and Research Center (AIRC) is housed in the building. This system has enabled OHSU to remain at the forefront of medical imaging as it gives OHSU scientists unparalleled views of the inner workings of living tissues, making it possible to examine a wide variety of disease processes in exceptional detail.

The building also serves as the current home of Druker’s research laboratory, which is focused on developing treatments for blood cancers.

Lamfrom broke new ground in the field of protein synthesis, and over the course of her lengthy career she crossed paths with some of the most noted biomedical researchers of the day, including the team that cracked the DNA code. She also was a passionate mentor, encouraging many renowned scientists in addition to Druker, who is credited with pioneering the field of precision cancer medicine. Lamfrom died of cancer in 1984 at age 62.

The naming of the Lamfrom Biomedical Research Building follows a series of gifts made to OHSU to honor Lamfrom by Gert Boyle, her son, Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, and his wife, Mary.