About
Jonas Salk was an American physician and researcher, born in New York in 1914. He developed the first polio vaccine, based on inactivated virus, announced in 1953 and declared safe and effective in 1955 after large-scale trials. He deliberately did not patent the vaccine, considering it a public good. In 1963, he founded the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and spent his later years researching an HIV vaccine. He died in 1995.
Key milestones
- 1955The polio vaccine is declared safe and effective after trials involving over 1.8 million children.
- 1963Founds the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California.
- 1977Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Themes
Public healthVaccinationMedical ethicsScientific researchInnovation
Sources: salk.edu · id.loc.gov · britannica.com