Veterinarian honored for efforts against rabies

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A veterinarian and lieutenant in the U.S. Public Health Service was honored in April for his domestic and international work to prevent and control rabies infections.

Dr. Ryan M. Wallace
Dr. Wallace

Dr. Ryan M. Wallace received the 2015 James H. Steele Veterinary Public Health Award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The award was given during the 64th annual Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference in Atlanta, and it honors current or recent service officers for outstanding contributions to areas of veterinary public health and one health.

Dr. Wallace was honored for his work that included development of wildlife disease surveillance systems for emerging pathogens, synthesis of scientific knowledge useful in developing recommendations for human exposures to zoonoses, and development in Haiti of a systematic animal rabies surveillance system.

Dr. Wallace now is a veterinary medical officer in the CDC’s poxvirus and rabies branch.

Dr. James H. Steele (1913-2013) was the first chief of the CDC’s Veterinary Public Health Division.