Jonas Salk

A man in a white shirt
When Jonas Salk and his Pitt team, supported by March of Dimes, tackled the polio pandemic, they came up with creative ways to make and distribute the vaccine. Dr. Rahul Gupta of March of Dimes explains why that sort of approach is needed to eradicate COVID-19 today.
A man in a dark shirt with headphones in, on a video chat
Peter Salk was 11 years old when a University of Pittsburgh team led by his father, the late Jonas Salk, created the inactivated poliovirus vaccine. Today, at 76, he’s back in the spotlight as researchers around the world race to develop new vaccines to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salk administering a shot to a nurse
April 12 marks 65 years since the polio vaccine, developed by a team led by Pitt’s Jonas Salk, was deemed safe and effective. Its success helped move vaccine science forward, and gives hope for a COVID-19 vaccine today.
Duprex in a suit and green tie in front of a University of Pittsburgh background
The University of Pittsburgh is among a select few institutions expected to receive samples of the coronavirus for study. In his remarks to the University Senate, Paul Duprex, director of the Center for Vaccine Research, highlighted the tremendous history the University has in working on vaccines and why this matters.