Brunkow recognized as one of the few female Nobel laureates in immunology.
By December 10, 2025, Mary E. Brunkow became one of the select few women to be honored with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, highlighted at the official Nobel award ceremony. Her work on regulatory T cells and the FOXP3 gene has helped establish a new frontier in the understanding of peripheral immune tolerance. This accolade not only celebrated her scientific achievements but also reinforced her influence as a trailblazer for women in the sciences, encouraging increased female representation in research and academia.