Mary (Nora) Disis named 2024 Inventor of the Year

Congratulations to Dr. Mary L. (Nora) Disis, professor (Hematology and Oncology) who has been selected as the 2024 UW Inventor of the Year.

This award recognizes the breadth and quantity of her commercial licensing successes spanning a broad range of possible paths to translation including low-cost, high quantity express licenses for copyright materials, exclusive licensing to established companies, and startup ventures of her own.

The Inventor of the Year Award recognizes a University of Washington researcher whose work has the potential to radically improve healthcare through the translation of research from the bench, with industry partnerships, to products or processes with major impacts on health.

Selection is based on the researchers’ contributions to the bioscience sector and to the UW faculty community, and for contributions to the UW Co-Motion mission to extend the impact of UW research through new partnerships that encourage investment in innovation. 

Disis is the Helen B. Slonaker Endowed Professor for Cancer Research, professor of medicine (Hematology and Oncology) and adjunct professor of Lab Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington, and a Member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.

She is the Director of UW Medicine’s Cancer Vaccine Institute and her research is in the development of vaccine and cellular therapy for the treatment and prevention of common malignancies.

She holds several patents in the field of cancer immunotherapy and diagnostics.

Disis is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians, and Sigma Xi.

She is an American Cancer Society Clinical Professor, Deputy Editor, JAMA, and the Editor-in-Chief of JAMA Oncology.