Join us for a panel discussion and reception to celebrate the unveiling of our Jonas Salk Legacy Exhibit—a cornerstone event of our school’s 75th anniversary celebration. The discussion will explore our school’s connection to the polio vaccine, the infectious disease threats of today and efforts to protect the health of populations around the globe.

RSVP now - space is limited! A virtual option will be made available for overflow. 

Moderator

Maureen Lichtveld, Dean and Jonas Salk Chair in Population Health, Pitt Public Health

Panelists 

Donald Burke
Dean Emeritus, Pitt Public Health

Chris Elias
President of Global Development Division
Chair of the Polio Oversight Board, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Ali Khan
Dean, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health

Peter Salk
President, The Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation
Professor of Infectious Diseases and MIcrobiology, Pitt Public Health

Stephanie Urchick
Incoming President, Rotary International 

About this Event

In 1948—the same year our school was founded—the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now March of Dimes) asked Jonas Salk, who had recently started at the University of Pittsburgh, to begin research on a vaccine for polio. By spring of 1955, a massive nationwide study with 1.8 million subjects conclusively demonstrated the Salk polio vaccine was safe and effective and the nationwide inoculation campaign began. The Jonas Salk Legacy Exhibit celebrates this work and the countless lives saved by public health vaccine initiatives. Materials displayed in the exhibit are part of a generous gift to the University of Pittsburgh from the Jonas Salk family. 

Please reach out to Assistant Director of Health Sciences Alumni Relations Marcie Johnson at marciej@pitt.edu with any questions.