From Rubella to Rabies: Lessons from Dr. Stanley Plotkin’s Lifelong Vaccine Quest

Stanley Plotkin, one of the most influential figures in vaccine science, recently sat down with the hosts of “” to discuss his life, career, and thoughts on the current state of public health—which gave listeners a rare glimpse into both the personal and scientific journeys behind some of the vaccines people rely on today.

You can see the full video here:  

Interview Summary

The interview opened on a personal note as Dr. Plotkin described his formative years in New York City. Growing up in the Bronx and later attending the Bronx High School of Science, he credited a specialized public education system and inspiring books like "Arrowsmith" and "Microbe Hunters" for igniting his interest in science. He shared how, thanks to New York's scholarship program, he was able to pursue his college and medical school education, an opportunity he admitted may not have been possible for his family otherwise.

Despite earning an M.D., Dr. Plotkin was always driven by a passion for research rather than clinical practice. He described his time with the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as pivotal. While Dr. Plotkin initially signed up for the Air Force, a friend's suggestion led him to pursue the CDC post, a step that launched him into the world of public health and vaccinology. Soon after, he joined Dr. Hilary Koprowski’s lab at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, working first on polio viruses. Here, Dr. Plotkin explained the close competition between different polio vaccine strains and the hurdles in developing and testing an oral polio vaccine. He even recounted traveling to the Belgian Congo to gather research data—a venture that taught him as much about epidemiology and laboratory science as it did about the unpredictable nature of working in different environments, including some tense moments that would seem fit for a Hollywood script.

His work with polio eventually transitioned into developing a rubella vaccine. In the early 1960s, an epidemic of rubella spread in Europe and then in the United States, causing particular danger to pregnant women and their unborn children. Dr. Plotkin emphasized the emotional impact of seeing families struggle with the consequences of congenital rubella syndrome, where babies could be born with neurological, cardiac, or other serious health issues if the mother was infected early in pregnancy. He talked about the science behind attenuation (or weakening) of viruses and how the use of human diploid cell strains (WI-38) was a controversial but ultimately wise choice for rubella vaccine development. He acknowledged the complex ethical debates around vaccine components, including concerns from religious communities, but noted that evidence and consensus eventually led most to support vaccination. Interestingly, he pointed out that much of the Western Hemisphere has now eliminated rubella, thanks to coordinated vaccination efforts. He also offered insight into why certain countries still struggle with eradication, explaining that even if a vaccine exists, challenges include integrating it into combination vaccines like MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and reaching all children.

The conversation continued through Dr. Plotkin’s wide-ranging experiences, including his contribution to rabies vaccine development. He described organizing pre-exposure trials with veterinary students across the United States, reflecting on how logistical and practical issues—like finding dinner in rural towns—became small anecdotes within a body of work that ultimately led to life-saving advances. He clarified, for non-specialist listeners, that rabies vaccination works after exposure because the rabies virus travels from the bite, through the nervous system, and there’s a window in which vaccination can prevent the disease from reaching the brain (where it becomes almost always fatal).

The interview also explored Dr. Plotkin’s longstanding interest in a vaccine for cytomegalovirus (CMV), a virus still lacking a fully effective vaccine. He traced the scientific and regulatory hurdles to getting a CMV vaccine licensed and described how advancing knowledge about cellular immunity (the body’s ability to fight off germs using cells) is vital for vaccine science, especially with complex viruses like CMV and HIV. He didn’t shy away from critiques, either—questioning, for example, whether current mRNA vaccine platforms achieve the breadth and persistence of immune responses needed for long-lasting protection.

Throughout the interview, Dr. Plotkin was resolute in describing the ongoing threat of declining vaccination rates and the rise of anti-vaccine sentiment. He explained that highly contagious diseases like measles could return to the United States if enough people refuse vaccines. He stressed that public health depends not only on individual choices, but also on collective responsibility—something he felt society has lost in recent years. Using a fictional scenario, one could imagine a small community where vaccination rates dip due to misinformation, resulting in an outbreak of a preventable disease. While this is hypothetical, Dr. Plotkin connected it to real-world examples—such as recent U.S. measles outbreaks.

Dr. Plotkin’s career, which also included a seven-year tenure in Paris working for Pasteur Mérieux (a French vaccine company), provided insight into how both industry and academia play different roles in the vaccine world. He explained that while industry has the resources to develop vaccines quickly, the need for profit can influence research priorities, while academic settings are often more collaborative but slower to translate discoveries into products.

When the discussion shifted to science education, Dr. Plotkin argued for starting science instruction in the earliest grades, believing that when children learn how to weigh evidence and think critically, they are less likely to be swayed by misinformation later in life. He lamented that, in today’s world, podcasts and social media give equal footing to evidence-based science and unfounded claims, making the public's ability to sort fact from fiction more difficult.

He ended on a hopeful note, with a gentle reminder that vaccine science is moving forward at incredible speed, with new technologies and delivery systems on the horizon. However, he warned that scientific progress means little if the public can't—or won't—access and trust these advancements. Maybe, Dr. Plotkin argued, the biggest challenge facing vaccine science today isn’t in the laboratory, but in society’s willingness to listen, learn, and come together for the common good.

For those interested in more details about Dr. Plotkin or the vast field of vaccine science, resources such as the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Makers Project, CDC vaccination resources, and the full archive of TWiV episodes offer a trove of accessible science and personal stories from those at the forefront of public health.