Adrianne ROGERS

ROGERS, Adrianne Ellefson A distinguished pathologist and Professor Emerita at Boston University School of Medicine, died on February 1, 2024, just 17 days shy of her 91st birthday.

Born in Aberdeen, Washington, Dr. Rogers was a lifelong trailblazer in science and education. She graduated magna cum laude from Radcliffe College in 1954 and received her medical degree, cum laude, from Harvard Medical School in 1958. After postdoctoral work at Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard, she completed research fellowships at the Mallory Institute of Pathology and Boston City Hospital.

Dr. Rogers devoted more than three decades to Boston University School of Medicine, where she was Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Associate Chair for Academic Affairs, Director of Medical Education, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She became widely respected for her groundbreaking research on nutrition, toxicology, and the environmental factors that influence cancer, authoring more than 100 scientific publications and advising organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the American Cancer Society. Her work earned her the Research Achievement Award from the American Institute for Cancer Research.

She was also the first woman to chair the Boston University Faculty Council, where she played a key role in promoting faculty governance and advancing a more inclusive academic environment.

Dr. Rogers was also deeply committed to teaching and mentoring, remembered by colleagues and generations of students for her encouragement, insight, and advocacy for women in science. Friends and family recall her warmth, curiosity, and devotion to advancing medicine and public health.

In 2023, Harvard University honored her legacy with the creation of the Adrianne E. Rogers AB '54, MD '58 Rogers Family Fellowship, endowed by her son, Hartley Rogers, Jr. The fellowship supports graduate students in frontier fields of science and medicine and stands as a lasting tribute to her contributions as a physician, educator, and mother.

She is survived by her husband, Hartley Rogers, Jr.; her children, Hartley, Campbell, and Caroline; and her grandchildren, Camille, Genevieve, Charles, Owen, Alice, Lydia, Athena, James, Christopher and Eleanor.