J. Michael Lane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
J. Michael Lane
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Lane in 1980
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| Born |
John Michael Lane
February 14, 1936 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | October 21, 2020 (aged 84) |
| Known for | Global efforts in eradicating smallpox |
| Spouse(s) |
Carolina Hernandez
(m. 1969; div. 1998)Lila Elizabeth Summer
(m. 1998) |
John Michael Lane (born February 14, 1936 – died October 21, 2020) was an American scientist who studied how diseases spread. He was a very important leader in the worldwide effort to get rid of smallpox, a serious disease. From 1973 to 1981, he directed the Global Smallpox Eradication program. His work helped completely wipe out smallpox by 1977.
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Early Life and Education
John Michael Lane was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1936. His mother, Eileen O'Connor, was part of the national board of the YWCA. His father, Alfred Baker Lewis, was a lawyer who helped the early NAACP for free. He later became the treasurer of the NAACP.
When John was six, his family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut. He went to the Brunswick School there. He earned his first degree from Yale University in 1957. Then, he got a medical degree from Harvard University in 1961. In 1967, he earned a public health degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This degree focused on studying how diseases spread. He also completed his medical training at Bellevue Hospital in New York.
A Career Fighting Diseases
Lane began his career in 1963 as an epidemiologist. An epidemiologist is a scientist who studies how diseases affect large groups of people. He worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He was assigned to the division that dealt with smallpox and other infectious diseases.
During this time, he traveled to many countries. He visited places in Africa and Southeast Asia. These included Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. His job was to help with vaccination campaigns. He also worked to stop disease outbreaks.
Leading the Smallpox Eradication Program
In 1973, Lane became the director of the Global Smallpox Eradication program. He was the last person to hold this job, staying until 1981. He successfully led the effort to get rid of smallpox. The very last case of smallpox was reported in Somalia in 1977. By 1980, the world officially declared that smallpox was gone forever.
Lane later talked about the smart ways they fought the disease. Volunteers played a big part by giving vaccines. It was also very important to work with local leaders. This helped make sure that people in villages received the vaccines.
One clever plan they used was called 'ring vaccination'. Before, they tried 'mass vaccination', giving vaccines to everyone. But vaccines were sometimes hard to get. So, they switched to 'ring vaccination'. This meant they focused on finding people who were sick. Then, they vaccinated everyone who had been in contact with them. This helped stop the disease from spreading further.
After Smallpox Eradication
After his work with smallpox, Lane stayed at the CDC until 1987. He then became a teacher. He taught at Emory University in Atlanta from 1988 to 1991. He also taught at the Australian National University from 1991 to 1993. There, he helped start a program to train epidemiologists in Australia.
Lane returned to teach at Emory University in 1993 and continued until 2001. In the early 2000s, he believed that all remaining smallpox vaccine supplies should be destroyed. He worried that these vaccines could be used in harmful ways. He asked countries like Russia and the United States to get rid of their remaining stocks for safety.
Personal Life
John Michael Lane married Carolina Hernandez in 1969. They later divorced in 1998. He then married Lila Elizabeth Summer in 1998.
Lane loved being outdoors. He was an enthusiastic bird-watcher. He also enjoyed trekking and scuba diving. When he was 79 years old, he completed a long trek across the United States. He walked all the way from Atlanta to Seattle!
Lane passed away on October 21, 2020, at his home in Atlanta. He died from colon cancer.
See also
In Spanish: J. Michael Lane para niños
