Janet was a world-renowned epidemiologist. From the late-1970s until her retirement, she was employed at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and she led a number of studies into the causes of cancer, most notably cancers of the breast and anogenital tract. Janet’s scientific curiosity also led her to pursue research outside the domain of cancer, including studies of the impact (or lack thereof) of legal induced abortion on the outcome of subsequent pregnancies, and on the role of certain intrauterine devices in predisposing to infertility and ectopic pregnancy.
While at the UW, she created a course on the practical aspects of data analysis, a crucial contribution to the curriculum which is being taught by her successors to this day. Over the 30 years at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, she published over 350 scientific papers and was the recipient of a number of awards including the Fred Hutch’s Donovan J. Thompson Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award, the American Public Health Association Wade Hampton Frost Award, and the American Association of Cancer Research Team Science Award.
Janet’s kindness and her interest in those with whom she interacted – staff, students and faculty alike – led to an extraordinarily supportive work environment at the Cancer Center. She will indeed be missed - but Janet’s positive influence continues to be evident in the professional and personal lives of all who knew her.