Gertrude B. Elion shared a Noble Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1988 despite never receiving a doctorate degree. In fact, she served as a professor, received numerous honorary doctorates and a National Medal of Science, was the first female inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and was chosen as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (UK), all without the distinction of earning a PhD. Even with all of the recognition, Elion is most famous for breaking down the gender barriers within the scientific research community.
