Helen Guillette Vassallo

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Helen Guillette Vassallo is an American scientific researcher, educator, author, lecturer, and business leader noted for her contributions to the fields of physiology, pharmacology, and anesthesia.

Contents

Education

In 1949, Vassallo graduated as the valedictorian from Attleboro High School in Massachusetts. [1] [2] While in high school, she won Honorable Mention in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. [1] [2] She went on to Tufts University to earn a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Master of Science in pharmacology. [3] In 1967, Vassallo earned her doctorate in physiology from Clark University. [1] A few years later, she received her Master of Business Administration degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). [3] [4] [5]

Career

Vassallo was the second woman faculty member at WPI, and later was the second woman to be named full professor there. [3] [5] Vassallo spent 20 years in the private sector, joining Astra Pharmaceutical Products as a researcher, eventually becoming the director of scientific and professional information. [3] In 1967, while on loan from Clark University, Vassallo began teaching molecular biology as an adjunct professor in WPI's chemistry department. [3] [1] In 1982, Vassallo left the corporate world to join WPI as a full-time professor of management and an adjunct professor in the Biology Department. [1] She was the first woman to be elected secretary of the faculty, the highest faculty post at the university. [4] Vassallo was also an advisor to the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority, an advisor for freshmen women, and a mentor for new young women faculty members at WPI. [4] Additionally, she served as a member of the President's Council for the Advancement of Women and Minorities, chief justice of the Campus Hearing Board, and chair of the Committee of the Status of Women, established in 1996. [4]

Selected publications

Awards and honors

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rettig, Carol Bradley Photography Tom. "A formula for learning and leading". telegram.com. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  2. 1 2 Attleboro High School (1949). Tattletale. Attleboro High School.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "A Look Back And A Look Ahead | WPI prof broke down barriers for women, but there's still more room for growth". Worcester Business Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "WPI Professor Helen Vassallo Receives Women of Consequence Award from the City of Worcester". WPI. 26 March 2008. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  5. 1 2 "Clark University Alumni spring magazine 2014". Issuu. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  6. ↑ "Goat's Head Award". WPI. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
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