Medical researcher Dr. Jonas Salk (1914–1995), born in New York City, changed the world with quiet courage and relentless curiosity. At thirty-nine, he discovered the vaccine for poliomyelitis—then known as infantile paralysis or polio—and turned fear into hope for millions.

Having developed an earlier vaccine for influenza, Salk discovered one for polio that stimulated immunity without causing symptoms.

“It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It’s my partner,” said Salk, who believed his purpose in life was to heal.

As the first human recipient of his own polio vaccine—a decision he described as “ritual and symbolic”—the brilliant doctor was hailed as a modern miracle worker. Reflecting on his purpose, he said, “The painful paradoxes of life seem to be so unnecessary. I think that we have an instinct, an impulse to improve our world. And I think that’s quite universal.”

Salk believed in building a better world by “enhancing the positive, improving the quality of human life, the human mind, and the conditions under which humans come upon the face of the earth and are given the opportunity to develop.”

In 1960, Salk established the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California—an enduring center of scientific discovery dedicated to advancing human health through research in molecular biology and genetics.

“The merging of intuition and reason will provide wisdom for the resolution of the struggle in which we are engaged,” explained the dedicated doctor.

Even in his later years, Salk continued to work for life’s magic, turning his focus toward the search for an AIDS vaccine. Though he passed away in 1995, his belief that a cure remained within the realm of possibility endures—carried forward by the research and hope he inspired.

He likened the discovery process to the way Michelangelo carved David from stone—“to be unveiled and revealed, little by little… It is just a matter of time and it is just a matter of strategy,” he said.