Celebrate Women’s History Month with NIHF

In honor of Women’s History Month, the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® (NIHF) encourages the public to nominate a woman inventor for consideration into our next class of inductees.

Nominees are evaluated based on the following criteria: 

Patent: Nominees must hold a U.S. patent for an invention that is groundbreaking or a significant advancement in their field.

Progress: The invention has been put into widespread use and has improved societal well-being, provided economic benefits to the country and has advanced scientific understanding.

Perseverance: The lives of nominees are characterized by inspiring stories of determination, challenges overcome and beating the odds.

Passion: Nominees are leaders in their fields who understand the importance of developing the next generation of American innovators.

For inspiration, we invite you to learn more about three influential female Inductees and how they have changed the world.

Gertrude Belle Elion, 1991 NIHF Inductee

Gertrude Belle Elion partnered with renowned doctor George Hitchings to create the lifesaving leukemia-fighting drug 6-mercaptopurine, as well as medicines that facilitate kidney transplants, and the treatment of gout, malaria, herpes and autoimmune disorders. In 1983, Elion helped oversee the development of azidothymidine, the first drug to fight AIDS. Together with Hitchings and Sir James W. Black, Elion was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1988 for discovering important principles for drug treatment.

Esther Sans Takeuchi, 2011 NIHF Inductee

With her expertise in energy storage, Esther Takeuchi led efforts to invent and refine the lifesaving lithium/silver vanadium oxide (LiSVO) battery technology used in the majority of today’s implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). ICDs regulate irregular heartbeats and can save people from sudden cardiac arrest. Today over 300,000 ICDs are implanted each year. Takeuchi has received over 140 U.S. patents and is the recipient of the 2008 National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Sumitra Mitra, 2018 NIHF Inductee

Sumitra Mitra is best known for inventing the first dental filling material to include nanoparticles. This new composite filling material called Filtek™ Supreme Universal Restorative mimics the beauty of natural teeth, provides impressive polish retention and exhibits superior strength compared to other dental composites. Filtek was initially launched in 2002. To date, Filtek has been used in over 600 million restorations worldwide. Mitra holds 100 U.S. patents and their international equivalents, and her inventions have led to a number of breakthrough dental technologies including nanocomposites, resin-modified glass ionomers and dental adhesives.

Nominate an Inventor Today

We encourage everyone to nominate an inventor to join our growing list of Inductees who have helped move society forward.

We also invite you to learn more about our annual Induction and view our newest class of Inductees.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating Women’s History Month by recognizing the accomplishments of influential women inventors who have improved the lives of people everywhere!