Jonas Edward Salk

Salk, Jonas Edward (1914–95), U.S. physician and microbiologist. He is best known for developing the first poliomyelitis vaccine, made from killed viruses (1952–54). He served as director of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies at the University of California, San Diego (1963–75). From 1986 he worked on a vaccine against AIDS.

See also: Poliomyelitis.