Washington DC , USA ; Dr Frances Kelsey with her daughter Christine , 12 years ( left ) looking at the medal she was awarded as a result of her blocking American approval of the drug thalidomide . Kelsey was awarded the President ' s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by President John F. Kennedy . A specialist with the Food and Drug Administration , she was said to have prevented an American tragedy by preventing the marketing of a sleeping pill , Thalidomide , later linked to grotesque deformities in newborns . 15th July 1962