125 Years of Caring

Having heard Joseph Lister speak in 1876, Robert Wood Johnson was inspired to start a company to manufacture the first mass-produced sterile surgical dressings and sutures according to Lister's methods, helping to make surgery safer and save lives. With his brothers, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson, he founded Johnson & Johnson, a company that has come to be known for its caring.

Caring inspires the people of Johnson & Johnson to advance health and well-being. Just as the Johnson brothers did, we embrace research and science, bring forward innovative ideas, products and services, and work with partners in health care to touch lives throughout the world.

“Meeting unmet needs in health care, one of our most important mandates, is to foster innovation both internally and through external collaborations,” says Garry Neil, M.D., Corporate Vice President, Corporate Office of Science & Technology. “Throughout our business segments, we have talented and driven scientists whose work is at the heart of product innovations we continue to bring forward, just as we’ve done for 125 years.”

Dr. Frederick Barnett Kilmer was the Company’s first scientific director and chief publicity officer, from 1889–1934. Dr. Kilmer spread knowledge of antiseptic methods for treating wounds, furthered the scientific direction of the Company, and helped earn trust for its expanding product lines among physicians and patients. His tenure saw many pioneering firsts, including steam sterilization techniques, first aid kits, JOHNSON’S^® Baby Powder and BAND-AID^® Brand Adhesive Bandages—invented by employee Earle Dickson.

As Johnson & Johnson grew, new companies were added. With new companies came great scientists. Dr. Philip Levine studied human blood and discovered many of the subgroups in blood typing. His work led to the development of RhoGAM^®, the first Rho(D) immunoglobulin product to treat hemolytic disease of the newborn and a product that has helped save the lives of countless babies. Dr. Paul Janssen, a Belgian scientist and one of the 20th century’s most innovative and inspiring pharmaceutical researchers, discovered haloperidol and led teams credited with discovering 80 medicines.

The promise of new innovations inspires Johnson & Johnson scientists today. Miri Seiberg, Shawn Stad and Marie-Pierre de Béthune are among the select scientists who share the distinction of having received the Johnson Medal for Research and Development for outstanding science and technology relating to contributions to a specific product or process. Named after the late General Robert Wood Johnson, who authored Our Credo in 1943, it is the most prestigious award for research and development in the corporation. Each of the honoree’s experiences demonstrates that caring for others combined with innovative research and science makes all the difference.

“Johnson & Johnson enables us to be at the cutting edge of technology,” says Miri Seiberg, Ph.D., Distinguished Research Fellow at the Skin Biology group, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. “We can combine knowledge and technology with innovative ideas to create better products and better serve our customers.” Seiberg is a 2003 recipient for the discovery and development of the “Total-Soy” skin care platform technology.

“As scientists make new discoveries and gain a deeper understanding of the human body, more doors open to develop new products,” says Shawn Stad, Staff Engineer at DePuy, Inc., a 2010 recipient for his role in developing the VIPER^®2 Minimally Invasive Spine System. “There will always be a need for medical intervention, and there will always be value in doing it better.”

For Marie-Pierre de Béthune, Ph.D., Vice President, External Innovation at Tibotec, BVBA, receiving the medal shows that ultimately the work makes a difference for patients. “The highest recognition I can get is when patients thank us for the drugs,” says de Béthune who was awarded the recognition in 2009 for the discovery and development of PREZISTA™ (darunavir), for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. “Each patient who says thank you is as breathtaking as the next. You don’t get used to it.”

• Return To Top