Dr. Kelsey brought to the FDA the rigorous standards that typified high quality research in major academic institutions. Her alertness and careful review of the thalidomide application and the subsequent evidence of the danger of that drug resulted in significant strengthening of drug legislation in the United States. Today drug companies must prove not only that drugs are safe, but also that they are effective. Perhaps even more important, drug companies now have to submit enough research to the FDA to prove a drug’s safety before it can be tested on humans.

https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/frances-oldham-kelsey/

On August 7, 1962, President John F. Kennedy awarded Frances Kelsey the highest honor given to a civilian in the United States, the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. She was the second woman to ever receive the award. Kennedy acknowledged "Her exceptional judgment in evaluating a new drug for safety for human use has prevented a major tragedy of birth deformities in the United States. Through high ability and steadfast confidence in her professional decision she has made an outstanding contribution to the protection of the health of the American people."

https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_182.html