John B. Robbins, M.D. (1932 –2019)
Lasker Foundation
This photo is from the NICHD website. Do we have original in Wiki already? Should we try and find other images? The two awards pages have photos of him. Not sure of size/quality.
He first came to the NIH in 1970 as the first Clinical Director at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). In 1974 he joined the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bureau of Biologics (what the Division of Biologics Standards was called when it was first administratively transferred to the FDA). Dr. Robbins was the director of the Division of Bacterial Products until 1984, when he retuned to NICHD, establishing the Laboratory of Developmental and Molecular Immunity to explore methods for developing vaccines against Hib and other encapsulated bacteria. In subsequent years, Drs. Robbins, Schneerson, and their colleagues developed a vaccine for pertussis and worked on conjugate vaccines against typhoid fever, Staphylococcus aureus, and other bacterial diseases. Dr. Robbins retired from NICHD in 2012.
Dr. Robbins was the recipient of numerous awards during his long career (he was still actively working in his 70s), including the prestigious Lasker Award Winner in 1996 for the vaccine for preventing meningitis in children. Together with his colleague, Dr. Rachel Schneerson, they developed the polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine for Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), which can cause meningitis in children. The Lasker Award is bestowed annually to those who have made major contributions to medical science.
Dr. Robbins was also the Sabin Gold Medal winner in 2001 for his pivotal role in the development of Hib conjugate vaccine, which is now used throughout the world. The use of this vaccine led to a dramatic decline in the number of infants and children suffering from meningitis and other systematic infections such as osteomyelitis and pneumonia. He received the World Health Organization Children’s Vaccine Initiative Pasteur Award (with Dr. Rachel Schneerson) in 2006, and Thailand’s Prince Mahidol Foundation Award for Public Health in 2017 (with Drs. Anderson and Schneerson).
Dr. Robbins worked in Building 29, Rooms 120 and 122.