Katie Couric Introduces Lost Women of Science's Podcast Finding Dora Richardson, Which Uncovers the Story of the Forgotten Woman Who Developed Tamoxifen, A Groundbreaking Breast Cancer Drug

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Lost Women of Science is releasing its new two-part podcast, Finding Dora Richardson, with an introduction by Katie Couric, former host of CBS News and the NBC Today Show, and founder of Katie Couric Media.

Couric, a breast cancer survivor, was eager to help tell the story of forgotten female chemist Dora Richardson. In the early 1960s Richardson synthesized the compound that came to be known as tamoxifen while she was working at British chemical company International Chemical Industries (ICI).

Tamoxifen was first introduced for sale in the 1970s and went on to become a groundbreaking cancer treatment that has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of women.

Part One of Finding Dora Richardson airs today. Listen to Finding Dora Richardson here.

Part Two airs on October 31.

"To be honest with you, I've never heard of her. In fact, very few people have and there's a reason for that. Her remarkable story has never been told," says Katie Couric about Dora Richardson.

Until now.

Virtually the only evidence of Dr. Dora Richardson's pivotal role in the development of tamoxifen was her name on the 1965 patent. Through persistent reporting, Lost Women of Science has pieced together Dora's life and her role in developing the groundbreaking breast cancer therapy.

We are also thrilled to announce that we found Dora's lost, unpublished History of Nolvadex, as tamoxifen was then called by ICI, which is now part of pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

"The moment we watched the archivist pull Dora's history from the bottom of a forgotten box, we knew we could tell her story. And what a story it is!" said Katie Hafner, host and co-founder of Lost Women of Science.

It's the mission of Lost Women of Science to tell the stories of female scientists who never got the recognition they deserved during their lifetimes. With this podcast, Dr. Dora Richardson, who died in 1998, will now get the credit she is due.

This two-part podcast was produced with the generous support of AstraZeneca.

About Lost Women of Science:

The Lost Women of Science Initiative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with two overarching and interrelated missions: to tell the story of female scientists who made ground-breaking achievements in their fields, yet remain largely unknown, and to inspire girls and young women to pursue education and careers in STEM. The Initiative's major funders include the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Anne Wojcicki Foundation.

Visit our website to sign up for notification of new podcasts. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @lostwomenofsci

CONTACT: Eowyn Burtner Phone: 415-754-0625, [email protected] or Debora Unger [email protected] Phone +44 7432166622

SOURCE Lost Women of Science Inc