Brij Saxena, PhD Papers

Collection

Identifier: US-NNCORMA-RGPPM-009

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Scope and Contents

The Brij Saxena, PhD Papers include Saxena’s reprints, select correspondence and promotional materials, a digital photograph, and several items from his career. His published work includes seven bound volumes of reprints and abstracts dating from 1952 to 2007. The promotional materials date between 1974 and 1978 and relate to Biocept-G, a radioreceptor assay used to test for the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and pregnancy, and include correspondence relating to Saxena’s research; press packets containing scholarly articles and newspaper clippings; a book review of Gonadotropins (Saxena, Brij, Beling, Carl G., and Gandy, Hortense M., eds. 1972. New York: Wiley-Interscience); and marketing materials aimed at medical professionals. The collection also includes a folder of loose correspondence between Saxena and Sunit Mukherjee, MNS from 1983 and 2001 concerning their mutual acquaintance with the late Subhash Mukherjee, PhD, who is remembered for creating the first child conceived by in-vitro fertilization.

Finally, the collection includes a Clear Plan Easy Fertility Monitor (circa 1999), an example of the kind of home fertility monitor and pregnancy test made possible by Saxena’s research; his undated business card; an undated digital photograph of Saxena at his desk at Weill Cornell Medicine; and Saxena’s personal copy of Gonadotropins (Saxena, Brij, Beling, Carl G., and Gandy, Hortense M., eds. 1972. New York: Wiley-Interscience), which collects the proceedings of the International Symposium on Gonadotropins from the previous year.

This collection does not include Saxena’s personal papers or original records from the majority of his career.

Dates

1952-2011

Creator

Saxena, Brij B. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The copyright to all materials in the Brij Saxena, PhD Papers has been retained by the donor or is unknown. Rights ownership of the material may vary, and the researcher must determine these issues and assume full responsibility for fulfilling the usage terms connected with all archival material, as well as any third party or the licensing of any additional rights. In the event that the reproduction become a source for publication, a credit line indicating the Medical Center Archives of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine is required. Additional permissions forms must be filled out for use outside the guidelines of U.S. Fair Use.

Please visit the Medical Center Archives website for the most updated policies and procedures regarding reproduction and use.

Biographical / Historical

Brij Saxena, PhD was a professor of reproductive biology and endocrinology at Weill Cornell Medicine from 1966 to 2012.

Saxena was born in India in 1930 and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Lucknow in 1949. He received his DSc from the University of Münster, Germany, in 1957 and his PhD in biochemistry and endocrinology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1961. After leaving the University of Wisconsin, Saxena served as assistant professor of biochemistry (medicine) at the Seton Hall College of Medicine in Jersey City, New Jersey, and at the New Jersey College of Medicine. He joined Cornell University Medical College, now Weill Cornell Medicine, in 1966 as an associate professor of biochemistry and was subsequently appointed associate professor of endocrinology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1970. In 1976, Saxena was appointed professor of endocrinology and in 2001 he was named the Harold and Percy Uris Professor of Reproductive Biology.

Saxena was a lifelong researcher in the field of endocrinology and later specialized in women’s reproductive health. His research in reproductive endocrinology focused on understanding the endocrine, immunological, and molecular mechanisms involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal regulation and control of gonadal function. He helped to elucidate the blood levels of the luteinizing hormone (LH) during the menstruation cycle and to isolate the lutropin receptor. As a result of his work, in 1975 he and Robert Landesman, MD developed a test that could identify pregnancy one day after a late menstrual period when other contemporaneous tests took as long as fifteen days. Saxena’s research led to the development of ovulation detection and the first early reliable home pregnancy test in 1978. Saxena’s later work included researching infertility in women, and the development of a vaginal ring to protect against unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Saxena passed away on July 30, 2012 after more than 45 years at Weill Cornell Medicine. He was survived by his wife Anjali Saxena, PhD, professor emeritus at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey; his sons Ranjeet and Sanjeet Saxena; and his granddaughters Jaya, Kiara, and Alika.

Bibliography Braunstein, Glenn D. “The Long Gestation of the Modern Home Pregnancy Test.” Clinical Chemistry 60, no. 1 (2014): 18–21. https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2013.202655.

Martin, Douglas. “Learning the Ropes from Old Hands.” New York Times, July 20, 1993, D1, D17.

“Pioneer in Reproductive Endocrinology Dies at 82.” WCM Newsroom, August 12, 2012. https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2012/08/pioneer-in-reproductive-endocrinology-dies-at-82.

“Pioneers in Reproductive Medicine: Brij Saxena, PhD.” Weill Cornell Medicine Samuel J. Wood Library. August 1, 2019. https://library.weill.cornell.edu/archives-blog/pioneers-reproductive-medicine-brij-saxena-phd.

Extent

1.25 Linear Feet

.307 gigabytes.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Brij Saxena, PhD was a professor of reproductive biology and endocrinology at Weill Cornell Medicine from 1966 to 2012. The Brij Saxena, PhD Papers include Saxena’s reprints, select correspondence and promotional materials, a digital photograph, and several artifacts from his career.

Arrangement

The folders in this collection are arranged alphabetically, followed by an alphabetical arrangement of the bound reprint volumes. The order of documents within the folders reflects the order in which they were provided by the donor.

Custodial History

Box 1 and the digital photograph in this collection were donated to the Medical Center Archives of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine on July 9, 2020 by Anjali Saxena, PhD, Brij Saxena’s widow. The photograph is a digital scan of an original photographic print owned by the donor. Box 2 was a subsequent donation from Anjali Saxena on December 12, 2020.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2023 by St John Karp, Medical Center Archives Intern. The finding aid was written by St John Karp with assistance from Amanda Garfunkel, Chiyong (Tali) Han, and Nicole Milano in 2023. A book review of Gonadotropins was found inside the front cover of Saxena’s copy of the book; it was removed and filed separately in Box 1 Folder 3 upon accessioning.