U-M awards first Thomas Francis Jr. Medal to William Foege

ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan will award its new Thomas Francis, Jr. Medal in Global Public Health to Dr. William Foege, who played a key role in a pioneering strategy to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. During a distinguished career, Foege was director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, executive director of The Carter Center and senior adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The medal carries a prize of $50,000 and is funded by private gifts to the University.

The University will award the medal April 12 during the 50th anniversary celebration of the watershed announcement by Francis that the Salk polio vaccine had been proven safe and effective. The event will be held in U-M’s Rackham Auditorium, site of the original pronouncement. The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. and is open to the public. For more information, visit: www.polio.umich.edu.

Foege will deliver a keynote address about the impact on social policy of the successful creation of the Salk polio vaccine.

The program will also include a panel discussion on global public health issues today, led by Harvey Fineberg, President of the Institute of Medicine. Howard Markel, U-M physician and historian, will provide an historical retrospective. Later in the day, Markel will lead at 3 p.m. panel discussion about the history of polio and the quest for a vaccine.  

"The Thomas Francis, Jr. Medal symbolizes the University’s commitment to global public health and its pride in the role Francis played in ending the polio epidemic in the U.S.," said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman. "William Foege, like Thomas Francis, is a hero in the field of public health. He embodies the dedication, record of achievement and humanitarian qualities the medal was created to honor.

"The University of Michigan has created the Thomas Francis, Jr. Medal to support sustained efforts to combat vaccine-preventable disease and to call public attention to the needs that still exist," Coleman said.

"In terms of lives saved and people freed from disease, Dr. Foege has changed the world as we know it," said Noreen Clark, dean of the School of Public Health. "He exemplifies the principles that are at the core of public health."

Related Links:

University of Michigan—Advancing Global Public Health-Polio Anniversary

U-M School of Public Health-Polio Anniversary

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center—50th Anniversary of Salk’s Polio Vaccine

Salk polio vaccine was a team effort

Salk Had Help Developing Polio Vaccine

50 Years After Vaccine, Polio’s Legacy Endures

Contact: Colleen Newvine or