Major
chemistry

Currently
Retired after 35 years of lab research and clinical testing in the medical division of Eli Lilly and Company.

Background
As a female chemistry major in the 1950s, Nancy Werner overcame many social and professional obstacles. She began her successful career as a scientist during her senior year in college, when she applied for a job at Lilly—where she spent her entire career. “I got to do exactly what I wanted to do,” she says, “and there was no better place to do it.”

While others have called her a pioneer, Nancy credits her success to her education, family’s support, and favorite professor, Sr. Mary Rose Stockton, who “fanned my enthusiasm for science.”