Stanley Plotkin

During his time at Wistar, Plotkin worked on several vaccines; chief among them are vaccines for rubella, rabies, rotavirus, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). He developed a vaccine for rubella, based upon the RA 27/3 strain of the virus (also developed by Plotkin using WI-38, a fetal-derived human cell line), which was released to the public in 1969.[9] This vaccine led to the eradication of the disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005.[10] Plotkin, working with Tadeusz Wiktor and Hilary Koprowski, produced a human vaccine for rabies during the 1960s and 1970s. This vaccine can be used as a preventative measure for people who have an increased risk of contracting rabies, as well as a treatment for those who have been exposed recently to the disease, preventing infection in nearly 100 percent of cases.[10] Another vaccine that Plotkin co-developed, working with H. Fred Clark and Paul Offit, is for rotavirus. In 2006, the team's vaccine became part of the U.S. recommended vaccine schedule for babies.[10] In the 1970s, Plotkin led the development of an experimental vaccine against CMV. This vaccine, developed using attenuated CMV, has yet to make it into commercial production.[10]

Dr. Plotkin has been a tireless advocate for the protection of humans, and children in particular, from preventable infectious diseases. His lifetime of work on vaccines has led to profound reductions in both morbidity and mortality not only in the United States, but throughout the world. His unbending adherence to the principle of being guided by outstanding science has led him to be admired by his peers. He demonstrates the combination of scholar, scientist and public servant exemplified by Dr. Maxwell Finland.

— Vijay B. Samant, President and CEO of Vical, Inc.[5]

• 1956: Internship, Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital[6][5]
• 1957: Officer, Epidemic Intelligence Service, United States Public Health Service[5]
• 1959–1973: Instructor, then Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
• 1961: Resident, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia[4][5]
• 1962–1963: Resident, Hospital for Sick Children London[4][5]
• 1964: Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation scholar[11]
• 1965–1972: Associate physician, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• 1972–1990: Director of Infectious Diseases and Senior Physician, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia[6][12]
• 1974–1991: Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania[12]
• 1974–1991: Professor of Virology, Wistar Institute[12]
• 1984–1986: President, Medical Staff, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• 1991–1998: Medical and Scientific Director Pasteur Merieux Connaught, Marnes-la-Coquette[12]
• 2003: Professor Emeritus, Wistar Institute
• 2006: Professor Emeritus of Virology, University of Pennsylvania
• 2006: Executive Advisor, Sanofi Pasteur
• 2014: Senior Advisor, Global Virus Network[13]
• Associate Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania
• Member, Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology[14]
• Adjunct professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health[15]
• Scientific advisor, Mymetics[16]
• 2017 Scientific advisor (and co-founder) of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)[17][18]