Frances Oldham Kelsey
Sign in to saveAlso known as Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey, Frances Kelsey, F. K. O. Kelsey
Canadian-American physician and pharmacologist (1914–2015)
Key facts
- 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 the 1950s)
- Alma mater
- Victoria College, British Columbia McGill University ( BSc , MSc ) University of Chicago ( PhD , MD )
- Occupation
- Pharmacologist
- Known for
- Preventing thalidomide from being marketed in the United States
- Spouse
- Fremont Ellis Kelsey ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. November 27, 1943</span>"}]]}'>1943 ; died 1966 )
- Field
- Physician
- Awards
- President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1962)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Frances
- Gender
- female
- Citizenship
- Canada
- Place of birth
- Cobble Hill
- Place of death
- London
- Occupation
- pharmacologist
- Employer
- University of South Dakota
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Image
- Frances Oldham Kelsey.png
- Number of children
- 2
Show 9 more facts
- Commons category
- Frances Oldham Kelsey
- date of death
- 2015-08-07
- date of birth
- 1914-07-24
- Commons gallery
- Frances Oldham Kelsey
- name in native language
- Frances Oldham Kelsey
- start of work period
- 1935-00-00
- birth name
- Frances Kathleen Oldham
- subject has role
- centenarian
- end of work period
- 2005-00-00
via Wikidata · CC0
~15 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey CM (née Oldham; July 24, 1914 – August 7, 2015) was a Canadian-American pharmacologist and physician who had a 45-year career with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As a reviewer, she refused to authorize thalidomide for market because she had concerns about the lack of evidence regarding the drug's safety. Her concerns proved to be justified when it was shown that thalidomide caused serious birth defects. Kelsey's career intersected with the passage of laws strengthening FDA oversight of pharmaceuticals. Kelsey was the first woman to receive a PhD in pharmacology and the second woman to receive the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, awarded to her by John F. Kennedy in 1962.
Early life and education
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Frances Oldham Kelsey” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.