Professor at UF veterinary college honored by national veterinary microbiology group

Roy Curtiss III, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, has received the 2020 Distinguished Veterinary Microbiologist Award from the national organization that provides certification of veterinarians with special expertise in microbiology.

The purpose of the award, given by the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists, is to recognize and honor a veterinary microbiologist who has distinguished themselves by a career that has made important contributions to the field of veterinary microbiology in the areas of research, teaching and/or service.

Hired in 2015 through UF’s preeminence initiative, Curtiss previously worked at four prestigious universities, building key programs and advancing biomedical discoveries through his work in vaccinology and molecular biology throughout his career. He holds appointments in the college’s departments of infectious diseases and immunology and comparative, diagnostic and population medicine. His primary expertise is in vaccinology and molecular biology.

A member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology, Curtiss’ many honors over his long career also include the American Society of Microbiology’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Dr. Curtiss has made major significant contributions to the advance of veterinary microbiology, not only as a researcher, but also as a teacher, mentor and administrator,” said Subhashinie Kariyawasam, BVSc., Ph.D., who serves as chair of the veterinary college’s department of comparative, diagnostic and population medicine and who nominated Curtiss for the honor. “He is an avid proponent of One Health, and most of his career has been devoted toward improving human and animal health.”

In addition to owning 51 nationally and/or internationally patented inventions, Curtiss also has engineered four licensed animal vaccines, which are marketed around the globe. His live attenuated Salmonella vaccines for layers have been widely used by the table egg industry and have revolutionized Salmonella enteritidis control programs. He has received funding from numerous national and international funding agencies, foundations and private industries, and currently owns a biopharmaceutical company, called Curtiss Healthcare, which develops a platform of new vaccines.