Frances Oldham Kelsey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frances Oldham Kelsey CM
Born	Frances Kathleen Oldham (1914-07-24)July 24, 1914 Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada
Died	August 7, 2015(2015-08-07) (aged 101) London, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship	Canada United States (from 1950s)
Occupation	Pharmacologist
Known for	Preventing thalidomide from being marketed in the United States
Medical career
Field	Physician
Awards	President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1962)

Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey (born July 24, 1914 – died August 7, 2015) was a Canadian-American scientist and doctor. She was a pharmacologist, which means she studied how medicines affect the body. Dr. Kelsey worked for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is a government group that makes sure food and medicines are safe.

Dr. Kelsey became famous for stopping a drug called thalidomide from being sold in the United States. She was worried it wasn't safe enough. Later, it was proven that thalidomide caused serious health problems in babies. Her brave actions led to new laws that made medicines much safer. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy gave her a special award for her important work.

Early Life and Education

Frances Kelsey was born in Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada. She went to St. Margaret's School and then Victoria College. She later studied at McGill University, where she earned degrees in pharmacology.

In 1936, she moved to the University of Chicago to continue her studies. Her professor, Dr. Geiling, thought she was a man because of her name! He offered her a job, and she accepted.

While at the University of Chicago, Frances helped Dr. Geiling research a medicine called elixir sulfanilamide. This medicine had caused 107 deaths. They found out that a harmful chemical, diethylene glycol, was used in it. This research helped lead to a new law in 1938 called the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This law made sure medicines were safer. Frances earned her Ph.D. in pharmacology that same year. Her work made her very interested in teratogens. These are drugs that can cause problems for babies before they are born.

Starting Her Career

Kelsey working in the 1960s

After getting her Ph.D., Frances Oldham became a teacher at the University of Chicago. In 1942, she studied drugs that could treat malaria. During this research, she learned that some medicines could pass from a mother to her unborn baby. She also met Fremont Ellis Kelsey, another teacher, and they got married in 1943.

Frances Kelsey earned her medical degree (M.D.) in 1950. She also worked for the Journal of the American Medical Association. In 1954, she moved with her husband and two daughters to Vermillion, South Dakota. There, she taught pharmacology at the University of South Dakota until 1957.

In the 1950s, she became a citizen of both Canada and the United States. This allowed her to keep working as a doctor in the U.S. She always stayed close to her family in Canada.

Her Important Work at the FDA

Kelsey receiving the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service from President John F. Kennedy, 1962

In 1960, Dr. Kelsey started working for the FDA in Washington, D.C. She was one of only a few doctors who reviewed new medicines. One of her first jobs was to look at a drug called thalidomide. A company wanted to sell it as a medicine for pain and to help pregnant women with morning sickness.

Thalidomide had already been approved in Canada and many other countries. But Dr. Kelsey was worried. She refused to approve it for sale in the U.S. She asked for more studies to prove it was safe. The drug company tried to pressure her, but she stood firm. She wanted to know more about a side effect that affected the nervous system. She also needed proof that the drug would not harm unborn babies.

Dr. Kelsey's concerns turned out to be absolutely right. Soon after, news came from Europe about babies being born with severe health problems. These problems were linked to their mothers taking thalidomide during pregnancy. Researchers found that thalidomide could indeed cross into the unborn baby and cause serious issues.

The Washington Post newspaper called Dr. Kelsey a hero. She had prevented a similar tragedy from happening in the United States. A reporter named Morton Mintz said she stopped "the birth of hundreds or indeed thousands of armless and legless children." Dr. Kelsey always said her assistants and bosses at the FDA deserved credit too. Her strong stand helped pass new, stricter laws about drug approval in 1962.

These new laws, called the Kefauver Harris Amendment, made drug companies:

• Show that new medicines actually work.
• Report any bad reactions to the FDA.
• Get permission from patients before they take part in drug studies.

Because she stopped thalidomide, President John F. Kennedy gave Dr. Kelsey the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service on August 7, 1962. She was only the second woman to receive this honor. Dr. Kelsey continued to work at the FDA, helping to make sure the new drug laws were followed. She retired from the FDA in 2005, at the age of 90, after 45 years of service. In 2010, the FDA created the Kelsey Award in her honor. This award is given each year to an FDA employee who shows excellence and courage in protecting public health.

Later Life and Legacy

Kelsey (age 87) at an FDA event in 2001

Dr. Kelsey kept working for the FDA for many years. In 1994, a school in Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada, was named the Frances Kelsey Secondary School in her honor.

In 2010, the FDA gave her the first Dr. Frances O. Kelsey Drug Safety Excellence Award. They also named the yearly award after her. This shows how much her work meant to public safety.

In July 2014, Dr. Kelsey turned 100 years old! She later moved to London, Ontario, Canada, to live with her daughter. In June 2015, she was named to the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honors. A thalidomide survivor, Mercédes Benegbi, praised Dr. Kelsey for her courage. She said, "To us, she was always our heroine."

Frances Kelsey passed away in London, Ontario, on August 7, 2015, at 101 years old. Just before she died, she received the special medal for the Order of Canada.

Awards and Honors

The "Drug Detective" recruitment flyer

• 1962 • President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service
• 1963 • Gold Key Award from University of Chicago, Medical and Biological Sciences Alumni Association
• 1994 • Frances Kelsey Secondary School named in her honor
• 2000 • Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
• 2006 • Foremother Award from the National Center for Health Research
• 2010 • First recipient of the Dr. Frances O. Kelsey Award for Excellence and Courage in Protecting Public Health
• 2012 • Honorary doctor of science degree from Vancouver Island University
• 2015 • Named to the Order of Canada

See also

In Spanish: Frances Oldham Kelsey para niños

• European Medicines Agency