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Marliyn J. Woolkalis, Ph.D. Associate Professor, 57 Marilyn J. Woolkalis, Ph.D., an associate professor of physiology at Thomas Jefferson University died of ovarian cancer Thursday in her home in Rosemont. Born in 1951 into an Air Force family in Gulfport, Mississippi, Dr. Woolkalis lived briefly in New Jersey and Morocco. Starting in 1955, her family lived in Falmouth (Cape Cod), Massachusetts. Dr. Woolkalis’s love of science blossomed when, as a senior in high school, she worked at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). She then attended Smith College from 1969-1973 where she obtained her A.B. degree in biology. After college, she worked at the Rockefeller University in New York City and again at WHOI. In 1975, she moved west to attend the University of California at Davis. There she classified the evolutionary relationships of bacteria of the genus Vibrio (which includes the pathogen that causes cholera) and received her Ph.D. in Microbiology in 1981, Dr. Woolkalis did postdoctoral research at Tufts Medical School in Boston and at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1992, she joined the faculty of Thomas Jefferson University where she held the rank of Associate Professor of Physiology at the time of her death. Although Dr. Woolkalis started her scientific career as a microbiologist, she shifted to cell biology upon returning to the east coast, focusing primarily on signaling processes in mammalian cells. At Jefferson, she concentrated her research on the vascular endothelium, the cell layer lining blood vessels. However, after her diagnosis in 2005, she became intensely interested in the signals controlling the growth of ovarian cancer cells and had just received a grant from the Department of Defense for this research when she became acutely ill from the disease. Dr. Woolkalis was a dedicated teacher of medical and graduate students and was honored in 2007 with the Dean’s award for education. As a researcher, she was highly respected for her technical expertise, integrity, scientific insights, and constructive criticism. Many young scientists sought her out for advice and mentorship. She was well-known for her pleasant smile, characteristic wit, and friendly, approachable manner. She was a devoted mother, wife, daughter, sister, and a friend to many. She and her husband, George L. Gerton, Ph.D., whom she met in graduate school and married in 1983, have a daughter, Julia. After her cancer diagnosis, one of Dr. Woolkalis’s primary goals was to see her daughter graduate from high school, which Julia did a few weeks ago. Dr. Woolkalis and a network of friends with cancer supported each other during her illness. She was an inspiration to many who watched her deal with her cancer therapies, including any clinical trial she could enroll in. She worked continuously throughout her illness until the past two months when the disease overcame her resistance. Besides her husband and daughter, Dr. Woolkalis is survived by her mother, Mary Louise, her brother, David, and his son, Brandon. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 1 at 3:30 PM at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dr. Woolkalis’s name to Chanticleer Garden, 786 Church Road, Wayne, PA 19087 or to the Ovarian Cancer Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

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Marilyn J. Woolkalis

June 16, 1951 - June 19, 2008