Philip Strax (January 1, 1909 – March 9, 1999) was an American radiologist who pioneered the use of mammography to screen for early breast cancer.

[2] After finishing high school at the age of 15, Strax won a scholarship to New York University, where he earned an undergraduate degree.

An article published in JAMA in 1966 reported that "early observations" supported "the hypothesis that the screening leads to earlier detection of breast cancers than is ordinarily experienced and that mammography contributes significantly to detection" but that answering "the crucial question" of whether screening reduced cancer deaths would take "at least five years of follow-up".

It aimed to provide five years of free annual mammograms, clinical breast examinations and thermographic imaging to as many as 270,000 women between the ages of 35 and 74.

[4] In 1988, Strax and Shapiro shared the Kettering Prize for "the first definitive study demonstrating that a screening program of mammography and clinical examination is effective in reducing death rates from breast cancer".