Kelsey isn't the only scientist to discover the risks of thalidomide.

While Kelsey wasn’t the only scientist to identify the risks of thalidomide, she sounded the alarm that kept it off the multi-billion-dollar American drug market. As public awareness of the thalidomide tragedy grew, the quiet scientist became a media sensation. Headlines in newspapers and magazines heralded her heroism while a smiling President John F. Kennedy presented her an award on the White House lawn. After the thalidomide scare, Congress passed laws that expanded the FDA’s authority and toughened requirements for new drug applications.