The University of Michigan played a special role in the fight against polio for many decades, from the treatment of its effects to the massive clinical trial that led to the first approved vaccine.
public health
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many parallels have been drawn between this pandemic and the Great Influenza of the early 20th century. Using the 1918-19 findings from the Center for the History of Medicine, the Center for Disease Control incorporated plans to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19.
epidemic
Dr. James van Gundia Neel died of cancer at his home in Ann Arbor on the first day of February 2000. He was 84. He was promptly memorialized as one of the greatest scientists in the University’s history. But a few months after his death, a calamity fell on Neel’s reputation.
research
U-M scientist Thomas Francis broke new ground in the fight against influenza with his work on the first flu shot.
public health
James Gerrit Van Zwaluwenburg (M.D. 1908) was an early adopter of X-ray technology, and he made imaging an integral element of clinical diagnoses and patient care at U-M.
healthcare history
William Haber was a world-famous economist, author of scores of academic publications, chairman of the Economics Department (1962), and Dean of LSA (1963–1968). He also advocated for refugees and immigrants.
Economics
A physics student developed a way to see inside your stomach, despite the experts saying his idea was impossible.
discovery
How archaeologist Francis Kelsey unmasked a turn-of-the-century hoax involving “ancient” artifacts and scammer who once held the position of Michigan Secretary of State.
Faculty