Stanford psychology professor Nalini Ambady, whose battle with leukemia brought awareness to the scarcity of bone marrow donors among minorities in U.S. registries, died October 28. She was 54.
Ambady's research in social pyschology demonstrated how accurate first impressions can be when based on rapid observations of people's nonverbal behavior.
A native of India, Ambady was diagnosed in 2004, but the disease went into remission following treatment. She joined the Stanford faculty in 2011. When her illness returned in 2012, doctors told her she would need a bone marrow transplant. Prospective donors who came forward either turned out to be insufficient matches or changed their minds about participating.
