Dr. Jonas Salk (1914–1995) led the medical research team at the University of Pittsburgh that developed the first safe and effective vaccine against polio (paralytic poliomyelitis).

Before the vaccine, the highly contagious and dreaded disease had been a major cause of disability in children, with tens of thousands of cases occurring in the United States each year—many leading to paralysis and sometimes death.

In 1948, Salk accepted the position of Director of the Virus Research Laboratory at the newly created School of Public Health at Pitt. With funding from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, he and his team dedicated themselves to preventing, not curing, polio, and their commitment to the challenge led to success that was heralded around the world.

The vaccine underwent initial testing among school-aged children in the Pittsburgh area, and after its introduction in 1955, it rapidly brought epidemics of polio in America under control. It continues to be used in the global effort to eradicate the paralyzing disease, and Salk is remembered as a hero of modern medicine for his contributions to global health.