2007 Norwich Native Daughter Dr. June Bradlaw received her A.B. degree from Connecticut College and M.S. degree in Microbiology from the University of Maryland and her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the George Washington School of Medicine. June graduated from the Norwich Free Academy (Class of 1954).
June Bradlaw joined the FDA in 1965 and worked in both genetic toxicology and in vitro toxicology research which involved the use of cultured mammalian cells to study effects of potential mutagenic/carcinogenic agents and developed cell culture assays as standardized tests of toxicity. She worked with many cell types found in the human and animal body and authored over 70 publications on cell culture technology and in vitro cytotoxicity testing. She advocated the use of cell culture systems in toxicology as alternatives to animal testing and had become an expert in all aspects of cell culture technology.
In 1985, June became leader of the In Vitro Toxicology Group at FDA. She was a long time member and an Officer of the Society of In Vitro Biology. The Society honored her in 2001 with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Bradlaw wrote a children’s book, “Tree Bear’s Adventures in Learning,” about a bear promoting forest conservation. It was illustrated by her uncle, Harry L. Rossoll, who created some of the early drawings of Smokey Bear for the U.S. Forest Service.
She passed away on May 30, 2018.