Frances Oldham Kelsey American pharmacologist Date of Birth: 24.07.1914 Country: USA

1. Biography of Frances Oldham Kelsey
2. Early Life and Education
3. Work at the University of Chicago and Early Career
4. Move to South Dakota and FDA Career
5. Awards and Legacy

Biography of Frances Oldham Kelsey

Francis Kathleen Oldham Kelsey, an American pharmacologist, is well-known for her work at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Kelsey refused to license a drug called thalidomide for release in the American market due to her doubts about its safety. Her concerns were proven valid when it was discovered that the use of thalidomide by pregnant women caused serious birth defects in their children. Kelsey's career was closely tied to the enactment of laws that strengthened the control of the pharmaceutical industry by the FDA.

Early Life and Education

Frances Kathleen Oldham was born on July 24, 1914, in Cobble Hill, a small Canadian town on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. At the age of 15, she completed high school and became a student at Victoria College, which she graduated from in 1931 (now known as the University of Victoria). She then enrolled at McGill University in Canada, where she studied pharmacology and received a Bachelor's degree in 1935, followed by a Master's degree in the same field. At the recommendation of her professor, she wrote to renowned researcher Eugene Maximilian Karl Geiling, who had established a new pharmacology department at the University of Chicago, seeking a position that would allow her to pursue a doctoral degree. Geiling mistakenly assumed Frances was a man but accepted her, and in 1936, Oldham began her work in Chicago.

Work at the University of Chicago and Early Career

During her second year at the University of Chicago, Geiling was conducting a research project for the FDA, investigating unusual deaths related to a drug called Elixir Sulfanilamide, which contained the toxic chemical diethylene glycol. Frances assisted in this project, which revealed that 107 people died from the ingestion of the drug. In 1938, the United States Congress passed the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In the same year, Oldham successfully completed her studies, earning her doctoral degree, and joined the university's faculty. At the University of Chicago, Kelsey became interested in teratogens, substances that cause congenital developmental abnormalities. In 1942, like many other pharmacologists, Frances worked on the synthesis of a synthetic drug for malaria and discovered that some drugs could penetrate the placental barrier. During this time, she also met her colleague and future husband, Dr. Fremont Ellis Kelsey. They married in 1943, and she obtained her second doctorate, this time in medicine. Additionally, she spent two years working for the American Medical Association Journal.

Move to South Dakota and FDA Career

In 1954, Kelsey left the University of Chicago and moved with her husband and two daughters to Vermillion, South Dakota, where she joined the faculty of the University of South Dakota and taught until 1957. In 1960, Kelsey became one of the doctors involved in a group of researchers working at the FDA in Washington, D.C. One of her initial tasks was to review a request from the pharmaceutical company Richardson-Merrell to market a drug called thalidomide (under the trade name Kevadon) as a tranquilizer and painkiller specifically indicated for pregnant women experiencing morning sickness. Despite the drug already being approved in Canada and 20 other European and African countries, Kelsey, even under pressure from the manufacturer, withheld her approval and demanded further studies. Her persistence paid off when reports of severe birth defects in children born to mothers who had taken thalidomide during pregnancy began to emerge in Europe. The Washington Post hailed Francis Kelsey as a hero for preventing a similar tragedy in the United States.

Awards and Legacy

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy presented Kelsey with the President's Award, making her the second woman to receive this honor. She continued her work at the FDA, playing a key role in shaping regulations regarding drug control. Kelsey retired in 2005 at the age of 90 after 45 years of service at the FDA. In 2010, the FDA established an award named in her honor for its employees. Additionally, a school in Mill Bay, Canada, and an asteroid have been named in recognition of her contributions.