Frances Oldham Kelsey

Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey PhD MD (July 24, 1914 – August 7, 2015) was an Canadian-American pharmacologist. She was a reviewer for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She refused to authorize thalidomide for market because she had concerns about the drug's safety.
Her concerns proved to be justified when it was proven that thalidomide caused serious birth defects. As a result of her blocking American approval of thalidomide, Kelsey was awarded the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by President John F. Kennedy, Kelsey retired from the FDA in 2005, at age 90, after 45 years of service.
Kelsey died at her daughter's home in London, Ontario at the age of 101.