Thressa Stadtman

Thressa Stadtman
ALT IMAGE TEXT Thressa Stadtman (seated, mid), with Richard Hendler (standing, left), Christian Anfinsen (right), Juanita Cook (seated, left), and Barbara Wright (right)
Born	Thressa Campbell (1920-02-12) February 12, 1920 Stirling, New York
Fields	biochemistry
Institutions	National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Alma mater	Cornell University University of California, Berkeley
Known for	discovery of selenocysteine member of the National Academy of Sciences
Spouse	Earl Reece Stadtman

Thressa Campbell Stadtman (born February 12, 1920) is an American biochemist, notable for her discovery of selenocysteine, and her research on selenoproteins and bioenergetics. In addition she made significant advances in amino acid metabolism, enzymes dependent on vitamin B12, and the biochemistry of microbes.

Life

In 1920, she was born in Sterling, New York. In 1940, she graduated from Cornell University, with a B.S. in Microbiology, and in 1942, with a M.S. in Microbiology and Nutrition. In 1949, she graduated from University of California, Berkeley, with a Ph.D. in Microbial Biochemistry. Her Thesis was " Studies on Methane Fermentations".

She was the wife of Earl Reece Stadtman whom she met when they were both graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley. The both were hired by what was then the National Heart Institute in 1950 becoming the first husband-and-wife team at the National Institutes of Health. They both oversaw their own biochemistry labs and collaborated closely. In 2005, they were both honored by the NIH with an exhibit titled "The Stadtman Way: A Tale of Two Biochemists at NIH."

Over a 60 year period, starting in 1943, she published 212, peer-reviewed papers.

Stadtman was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1981.