Mary Lasker (1900-1994) was a philanthropist, political strategist, and health activist who was the catalyst for the rapid growth of the biomedical research enterprise in the United States after World War II. She served as director, chairman, or trustee of a range of medical and cultural organizations including the National Advisory Cancer Council, the American Cancer Society, the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Education Foundation, and the National Committee for Mental Hygiene. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1989 for fostering prevention and treatment of disease by honoring excellence in science.

The Mary Lasker Papers are available on NLM's Profiles in Science at http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov. The online exhibit features correspondence, draft articles, reports, speeches, and photographs from the Mary Lasker collection at the Columbia University Libraries Rare Book and Manuscript Library.