Dr. Laura Koutsky | 2010

Dr. Laura Koutsky is a professor emeritus of Epidemiology at the UW School of Public Health. Dr. Koutsky played a critical role in the development of the groundbreaking vaccine against human papilloma viruses (HPV), which cause the majority of cervical and other ano-genital cancers worldwide. Laura’s seminal work demonstrating the link between HPV and cervical cancer began while she was still a PhD student. This research spurred the development of new cervical cancer screening methods and was critical to the first HPV vaccine trials, for which Laura served as the lead investigator. Known as a skilled mentor, Laura has received numerous awards for her leadership and contributions to sexually transmitted disease study and prevention.