IDSA honors Schaffner with mentoring award
William Schaffner, M.D.
IDSA is the premier academic and professional society devoted to the prevention, treatment and investigation of infectious diseases. The Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award is granted to an IDSA member or fellow who has been exceptional in guiding the professional growth of infectious diseases professionals.
“Working with infectious disease fellows and CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers is a privilege and a treasure,” Schaffner said. “The best part is that the relationships extend over years, enriching the lives of us all.”
The IDSA meeting, which took place from Oct. 20-24, also featured Schaffner delivering “The Media and Infectious Diseases” as this year’s Joseph E. Smadel Lecture, one of the top lectures of the meeting.
Smadel (1907-1963) was a physician and investigator whose contributions to medical science either saved or prolonged the lives of thousands of people. His formal professional career in experimental pathology began at The Rockefeller Institute, where he made contributions to the knowledge of psittacosis, vaccinia, vairiola, myxomatosis and viral encephalitis.
During World War II, Smadel served as chief virologist with the First Medical General Laboratory in Europe, leading a mission to study control measures of typhus fever in Egypt and southern Italy.