[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 130 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. BARUCH SAMUEL BLUMBERG

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                       HON. BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 29, 2025

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
extraordinary legacy of Dr. Baruch Samuel Blumberg and commemorate 100 
years of his enduring impact on scientific advancement and human 
welfare.
  Dr. Blumberg was born on July 28, 1925. In a fitting tribute to his 
trailblazing discoveries, the world observes World Hepatitis Day on 
this date each year. In 1967, Dr. Blumberg and his colleagues 
discovered the Hepatitis B virus and developed the first blood test to 
detect it. Two years after his discovery, he helped develop the first 
Hepatitis B vaccine--widely regarded as the world's first ``anti-cancer 
vaccine.'' This seminal contribution had a global impact, reducing 
Hepatitis B infection rates in Chinese children from 15 percent to 1 
percent within a decade. Much of this research was conducted at Fox 
Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  In 1976, Dr. Blumberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or 
Physiology, alongside Dr. Daniel Carleton Gajdusek, in recognition of 
these groundbreaking discoveries.
  His contributions to Hepatitis B research extended far beyond his 
initial breakthroughs. He continued his advocacy and research efforts 
through helping to establish the Hepatitis B Foundation and the 
Institute for Hepatitis and Virus Research--later renamed the Baruch S. 
Blumberg Institute after his passing in 2011. At their Doylestown, 
Pennsylvania campus, he actively worked with scientists and the public 
health team. He also served on the Foundation's Scientific and Medical 
Advisory Board and as its Distinguished Scholar for nearly two decades.
  Beyond his pioneering contributions to Hepatitis B research, Dr. 
Blumberg's career was marked by other accomplishments across science, 
academia, and public service. After high school, he served as a U.S. 
Navy deck officer during World War II. He later earned his M.D. from 
Columbia University and a D.Phil. in Biochemistry from Balliol College, 
Oxford.
  Beginning in 1977, Dr. Blumberg was a professor of medicine at the 
University of Pennsylvania and was the first American to serve a Master 
of Balliol College from 1989 to 1994. From 1999 to 2002, he directed 
the NASA Astrobiology Institute, and in 2001, he was named to the 
Library of Congress Scholars Council. In 2005, he became President of 
the American Philosophical Society, continuing his lifelong commitment 
to scholarship.
  Dr. Blumberg's character was just as remarkable as his professional 
accomplishments. He was a proud Jewish American born and raised in 
Brooklyn, New York. He credited the teachings of the Talmud with 
shaping his mental discipline and societal contributions. His friends 
and colleagues described him as ``endlessly curious, deeply 
compassionate and profoundly impactful.'' It was said that during 
nature walks, he could speak with near encyclopedic knowledge about the 
plants and animals he encountered. He had a true zest for life and 
learning, as well as a deep commitment to teaching.
  Today, on what would have been his 100th birthday, it is my distinct 
honor to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg. His 
unparalleled work continues to save millions of lives, and his example 
continues to inspire generations of scientists around the world.

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