Rowley was named a co-winner of the 2013 Albany Medical Center Prize for discovering the first consistent chromosome translocation in human cancer.
On April 16, 2013, Albany Medical College announced Janet Rowley as one of three recipients of the 2013 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, one of the largest prizes in medicine in the United States.
The award specifically honored Rowley's discovery of the first consistent chromosome translocation identified in any human cancer, a finding that fundamentally altered the trajectory of cancer research. Notably, much of this pioneering work had been conducted using a borrowed microscope set up in her own home, a detail that underscored both her resourcefulness and her singular dedication to the research.
Coming just months before her death in December 2013, this prize represented one of the final major honors bestowed upon Rowley during her lifetime, recognizing a career that had spanned over four decades of transformative contributions to cancer genetics.
The prize also served to reintroduce her remarkable story to a new generation, emphasizing how a scientist working with modest resources could produce discoveries with global, lasting impact on the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia and other cancers.