Dr. Frances Kelsey, a champion of drug safety for American women and babies, died 5 years ago today

Image: Frances O. Kelsey receives the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service from President John F. Kennedy, 1962. National Library of Medicine, Images from the History of Medicine

Dr. Frances Kelsey, who died on August 7, 2015 at the age of 101, protected American babies.

Dr. Kelsey did more to protect American women from drug-induced birth defects than anyone before or since. She is our hero. Here is her bio:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_182.html

Kristine Shields MSN, DrPH is a nurse practitioner and a doctor of public health. She is the author of Pregnancy and the Pharmaceutical Industry (Elsevier, 2019) and the soon-to-be-released Vulva Owner’s Manuals. Visit her at kristineshieldsauthor.com