Unveiling of a Historical Marker to Honor
HILARY KOPROWSKI, M.D. (1916 – 2013)
Polish Immunologist in Philadelphia, Inventor of the Oral Polio Vaccine, Director of the Wistar Institute, Kosciuszko Foundation Honorary Trustee
Friday, June 7, 2024, 3:00 PM
Wistar Institute, 36th Street Walk & Spruce Street, Philadelphia
Please join the Kosciuszko Foundation Philadelphia Chapter in commemorating Dr. Hilary Koprowski, a Polish medical doctor, eminent scientist, long-time Director of the Wistar Institute, and Honorary Trustee of the Kosciuszko Foundation. Under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Kosciuszko Foundation, as a sponsor, will unveil a historical marker to honor Dr. Koprowski on Friday, June 7, at 3:00 PM, at the Wistar Institute on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The event will be open to the public. Andre Zlotnicki, president of the Kosciuszko Foundation Philadelphia Chapter and representatives of the Historical Commission, will offer remarks.
Dr. Koprowski developed the first viable oral vaccine against polio. Later, he led the Wistar Institute to do significant work on an improved vaccine against rabies and rubella. He also pioneered the use of monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. In its obituary, The New York Times described Dr. Koprowski as “one of the world’s foremost biomedical researchers.” He was honored for his work worldwide and won many laurels, including the French Legion of Honor.
Dr. Koprowski was born and educated in Warsaw but was forced to leave Poland after the Nazi invasion in 1939, eventually settling in the United States. In addition to his medical degree, he attended the Warsaw Conservatory and was a trained concert pianist and a fluent speaker of seven languages. As director of the Wistar Institute (1957 to 1991), he is widely credited with transforming Wistar into the world-class research institution it is today. Later, he headed up the Center for Neurovirology at Thomas Jefferson University. He died at age 96 in 2013.
Following the marker’s unveiling, the Wistar Institute will host a reception. Registration is required. Please register by May 31.