Dr. Paul Parkman, Weedsport native who developed rubella vaccine, dies (2024)

Dr. Paul Parkman, a Weedsport native whose isolation of the rubella virus led to the development of a vaccine that eliminated the infection in the U.S., died May 7. He was 91.

Parkman was born in Auburn in 1932 and was raised in Weedsport. He graduated from Weedsport High School in 1950.

In an interview with The Citizen in 2021, Parkman recalled how he decided to pursue a career in medicine. He was unsure of what to do, so his father, Stuart, provided some options. One was being a doctor.

Parkman enrolled in an accelerated pre-med program at St. Lawrence University, according to his obituary. After earning his bachelor's degree at St. Lawrence, he completed his doctor of medicine degree at the SUNY Health Science Center — now SUNY Upstate Medical University — in Syracuse.

He interned at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown and was the chief resident focusing on pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse.

The opportunity that would lead to his significant contribution to science came in 1960. There was a doctor's draft, he said, and he joined the U.S. Army in 1960. He was assigned to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland.

"I was at Reed for three years," he said, "and it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Working as a virologist, he began studying the rubella virus, also known as German measles. Rubella is a contagious viral infection that causes a rash. There can be other symptoms, including a fever and a headache.

Although someone with rubella would usually experience mild symptoms, it would lead to miscarriages or birth defects if a pregnant woman was infected.

To develop a vaccine to protect against rubella, Parkman and his team needed to isolate the virus. He explained to The Citizen that, after repeated failures, he developed the idea to place another virus on top of the rubella virus.

It worked.

"We knew right from the start that it was the kind of discovery that was really important in terms of the of the vaccine," Parkman said. "We were physicians and we knew about German measles as an unsolved problem."

Parkman left the U.S. Army and joined the National Institutes of Health, where he worked with Dr. Harry Meyer to develop the rubella vaccine. They held two patents and could've profited from their innovation.

According to Parkman's obituary, the doctors chose to assign the patents to the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare — what is now known as the Department of Health and Human Services — to allow the vaccine to be distributed "as quickly and affordably as possible, to as many people."

Parkman was recognized for the pivotal role he played in developing the rubella vaccine. His obituary mentions one of those honors being a letter from President Lyndon B. Johnson, who lauded the doctors for their work.

"Few men can number themselves among those who directly and measurably advance human welfare, save precious lives and bring new hope to the world," Johnson wrote. "Through your accomplishments in developing an effective experimental vaccine against German measles, you and Dr. Harry Meyer have joined that tiny legion."

The rubella vaccine was later combined with measles and mumps into one vaccination, known as MMR. It's administered in childhood and protects recipients against the three viral infections.

Parkman told The Citizen that when he had trouble sleeping, he would think about his work on the rubella virus and the impact it's had throughout the world. The development of the vaccine led to the rubella virus being eliminated in the U.S. in 2004.

"It's hard to believe how we were so lucky," he said.

Parkman is survived by his wife, Elmerina, two nieces and extended family members. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 25, at White Chapel Funeral Home in Weedsport.