Rachel Brown, 1898-1980

Rachel Fuller Brown, a biochemist, and Elizabeth Lee Hazen, a microbiologist, were co-discoverers in 1950 of the drug nystatin, the first antibiotic administered to humans that safely and effectively treats serious fungal diseases. Both were employed by the Division of Laboratories and Research of the New York State Department of Health, Brown in Albany and Hazen in New York City.

Brown and Hazen assigned patent royalties to the Research Corporation of New York, a non-profit foundation for the advancement of science, to assure that all income from their invention would be used in the public interest. The patent had produced over $13 million in royalties when it expired in 1978. One-half the proceeds were designated for the general purposes of the Research Corporation, and one-half for the Brown-Hazen Fund.

From 1957 to 1978 the Brown-Hazen Fund supported research and other programs in the biomedical sciences, especially in microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, and mycology; beginning in 1973, grants were restricted to work in mycology. The Fund made grants for fundamental investigations in the biomedical sciences, the strengthening of science programs of educational institutions, travel grants to attend medical conferences abroad, training programs, the preparation of scientific papers or articles for publication, and sponsorship of science symposiums.