Judy Bolton, Distinguished Professor and head of the medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, died on March 5 from complications relating to breast cancer. She was 56 years old.
A native of England, whose parents were Canadian, Dr. Bolton’s family came to the United States when she was an infant. The family lived in New York, Minneapolis, and finally settled in London, Ontario. Professor Bolton earned a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. at the University of Toronto and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado. Her research focused on chemical toxicology and post-menopausal women’s health.
Dr. Bolton joined the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1994 as an assistant professor. She was named department chair in 2005 and in 2017 was honored with the rank of Distinguished Professor. In 2013, Professor Bolton was named “Woman of the Year” at the University of Illinois at Chicago.