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Stanley A. Plotkin

Title
Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania
Description

Dr. Stanley A. Plotkin is Emeritus Professor of the University of Pennsylvania. Until 1991, he was Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, and Professor of Virology at the Wistar Institute and at the same time, Director of Infectious Diseases and Senior Physician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In 1991, Dr. Plotkin left the University to join the vaccine manufacturer, Pasteur-Mérieux-Connaught, where for seven years he was Medical and Scientific Director, based at Marnes-la-Coquette, outside Paris. The same company is now named Sanofi Pasteur.

Dr. Plotkin’s career includes internship at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital for Sick Children in London and three years in the Epidemic Intelligence Service of the Centers for Disease Control of the US Public Health Service.

He has been chairman of the Infectious Diseases Committee and the AIDS Task Force of the American Academy of Pediatrics, liaison member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and Chairman of the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research Committee of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Plotkin received the Bruce Medal in Preventive Medicine of the American College of Physicians, the Distinguished Physician Award of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the Clinical Virology Award of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology, and the Marshall Award of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. In June 1998, he received the French Legion of Honor Medal, in June 2001, the Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Sabin Gold Medal in May 2002, and in September 2004 the Fleming (Bristol) Award of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2005. Dr. Plotkin holds honorary degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Rouen (France). A lecture in his honor has been established at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting. His bibliography includes over 600 articles and he has edited several books including the standard textbook on vaccines.

He developed the rubella vaccine now in standard use throughout the world, and has worked extensively on the development and application of other vaccines including polio, rabies, varicella, rotavirus and cytomegalovirus.

ISV Fellow of the Month
Country
United States
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