June 20, 2019
A new exhibit at Philadelphia International Airport recognizes the city's role as a global medical hub, highlighting how it has shaped the field of medicine throughout its history.
The exhibit, entitled "Philadelphia: A Global Medical Hub since the 1700s," is located in Terminal A-East and is accessible to ticketed passengers.
A collage consisting of 80 panels celebrates a range of medical "firsts" achieved in Philadelphia, from the establishment of the nation's first hospital to the first successful brain surgery and the discoveries of the rabies, rubella and hepatitis B vaccines.
Medical pioneers from colonial times to the present are also given a spotlight in the exhibit.
“All of us know about Philadelphia’s historical significance as our nation’s birthplace and the first U.S. capital,” said PHL CEO Chellie Cameron. “This exhibit shares Philadelphia’s prominence as the seat of medical innovation dating to Colonial times and its status today as an epicenter for advancements in medicine.”
At an unveiling of the exhibit on Thursday, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney presented a mayoral citation to Dr. Stanley Plotkin, the renowned physician who developed the rubella vaccine and worked on numerous others.
The exhibit will remain at the airport until June 2020.
