The name "Dr. Jonas Salk" is synonymous with one of the greatest public health achievements of all time: The Polio Vaccine. The arrival of Salk's vaccine in 1955 was a beacon of hope and reinforced the role science can play to serve the public good. When asked who owned the patent for the vaccine, Salk famously replied, "There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" In 1994, and just one year before Dr. Salk passed, polio was considered eliminated in North and South America. Today, vaccine hesitancy - driven by a host of reasons - has eroded childhood immunization rates in some parts of the country, and reignited a debate over vaccines as a stress test for public trust in science.
Continuing the work of Dr. Jonas Salk is his son, Dr. Peter L. Salk. A graduate from Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he would go on to work in his father’s laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies from 1972 to 1984, and again from 1991 to 1995. Together, they would research the biology and immunotherapy of cancer and autoimmune diseases, and develop an inactivated vaccine for HIV infection. Nowadays, Dr. Salk spends his time educating the public regarding his father’s life and work and exploring approaches to reducing the severity of various public health problems. Since 2009, Dr. Salk has served as president of the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation in La Jolla, California. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health, Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology.
In partnership with the Mt. Sinai Health Foundation, join us as Dr. Peter L. Salk sits down in conversation with Dr. Arthur Lavin, retired pediatrician and Co-Founder of Grandparents for Vaccines. Together, they will discuss the Salk legacy, the state of public trust in science, and the future of public health.
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The livestream will be available beginning at 12:00pm. Have questions for the Q&A? Text them to 330.541.5794.
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