CC alum attends Nobel ceremony with her former student

Dr. Ellen Vitetta ’64

Ellen Vitetta ’64 says mentoring is the most important thing she does.

She speaks from experience.

Vitetta attributes her success as a biomedical scientist to Connecticut College and to her own mentor. CC laid the foundation for her medical education while her mentor, a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, instilled in her an appreciation for the importance of hard work and good humor.

Vitetta, a professor of microbiology and director of the Cancer Immunobiology Center at the university, has routinely passed on the valuable lessons she learned to the 100 students and fellows she has trained over the years.

“A mentor is much like a parent,” Vitetta said. “I consider all my students and fellows to be my ‘scientific children.’”

One of them, Fran Ligler, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering a month ago.

Another, Linda Buck, won the Nobel Prize last October for her research on how the brain processes smells and relates them to feelings like happiness or sadness. Buck is the 11th woman in history to garner the honor and Vitetta couldn’t be prouder.

Linda Buck, left, and Vitetta at the Nobel ceremony.

“I have watched her grow and focus. I have watched her build confidence, stamina and ‘thick skin.’ It is not easy for women in science,” she said.

Vitetta taught Buck as a graduate student in immunology from 1975-1980 and remembers her as a “good, but not an exceptional student.” What made her stand out from the crowd, Vitetta said, was her persistence, curiosity and love of biology. “Once she was onto something, it was with laser-like focus.”

Vitetta was supportive during Buck's struggles and celebrated her successes. Like her own mentor, Vitetta was always available to give fair and honest advice. “That is essential to be a good mentor,” she said. “You must be absolutely candid with your trainees.”

Vitetta has been cited for her work in developing anti-body based “biological missiles” to destroy cancer cells and cells infected with HIV. In 1994, she was the 86th woman elected to the National Academy of Sciences, which has 1,700 members. Three years later Connecticut College awarded her the College Medal for her accomplishments.

Buck is a professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and shares her $1.35 million prize with Richard Axel of Columbia University. The award was presented in a ceremony Dec. 10 in Stockholm, which Buck invited Vitetta to attend.

“It was a great honor and a thrilling experience,” she said. “When they handed Linda the prize, I knew that the hard work, both hers and mine, had paid off.”