Pindaros Roy Vagelos was president and chief executive officer (1985) and chairman (1986) of the multinational pharmaceutical company Merck. He attracted research scientists who developed many major new drugs. He was born on October 8, 1929 in Westfield, New Jersey, United States. He earned his B.S. in chemistry from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and his medical degree from the Columbia University School of Medicine. Vagelos was deferred from military service while in medical school, but he was obligated to serve a two-year stint as an Army doctor. As a Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons trained surgeon and biochemist, Vagelos obtained a two-year assignment as a research physician at the National Institutes of Health (1956–1966). For Vagelos, it was a fateful turning point. He was associated with Massachusetts General Hospital, Washington University and the Washington University School of Medicine (1966–1975) before joining Merck, Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories in Rahway (president 1976–1984). In 1995 Dr. Vagelos was the recipient of the NAS Award for Chemistry in Service to Society, and inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame. He received the Bower Award for Business Leadership in 1999. He also received the Othmer Gold Medal in 1999.