Abstract
Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. was an American physician, virologist, and epidemiologist who was a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan from 1941 to 1969. He focused on studying infectious diseases, particularly pneumonia, influenza, and poliomyelitis, and developing vaccines and clinical trials. He earned his medical degree from Yale University in 1925. In 1941, the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board (AFEB) appointed him as the Director of the Commission on Influenza. This prestigious role underscored his expertise and leadership in combating infectious diseases and successfully developing field trials and evaluations of protective influenza vaccines. In 1954, he spearheaded the largest and most comprehensive clinical trial of the Salk polio vaccine at the University of Michigan Vaccine Evaluation Center, with vital support from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP). He received the Medal of Freedom in 1946, the Lasker Award in 1947, and the Medal in Global Public Health in 2005.