CVMBS Senior Professor Selected As National Veterinary Microbiologist Of The Year
Story by Megan Myers, CVMBS Communications
Dr. L. Garry Adams, a senior professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS), has been selected as the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists’ (ACVM) Distinguished Veterinary Microbiologist of 2021.
This award recognizes a veterinary microbiologist whose career has made important contributions to the field in the areas of research, teaching, and service.
“Being the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists’ 2021 Distinguished Veterinary Microbiologist is both unimaginable and humbling to me,” Adams said. “My life with the microbes is both intriguing and haunting as our journey with microbes will never end.”
“Dr. Adams has made a career of discovery and breaking new ground,” said CVMBS associate professor Dr. Sara Lawhon, who nominated Adams for the award. “His lasting legacy, though, is his impact on the lives of his students, colleagues, and friends and the relationships he continues to build.”
Research
Adams, a member of the CVMBS’ Department of Veterinary Pathobiology (VTPB), has “a long and distinguished career studying zoonotic organisms, host-pathogen interactions, and molecular pathogenesis of infectious disease,” according to the ACVM.
His work has led to more than 270 publications from his studies of infectious diseases in livestock and wildlife, particularly zoonotic diseases that also impact human health.
“He has substantively contributed to animal health and regulatory programs for brucellosis, salmonellosis, and mycobacterial infections,” said Dr. Tamara Gull, a colleague of Adams’ from the University of Missouri who also nominated him for the award.
Adams has also had an international impact from his role as a visiting professor in Germany and Canada and his collaborations with researchers in Kazakhstan, South Africa, Russia, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Egypt, and other countries.
As a previous associate dean for Research & Graduate Studies at the CVMBS, Adams has made great contributions to the college’s overall research missions as well.
Teaching
In the area of teaching, Adams has guided the work of 154 graduate students, hosted 11 visiting scientists, and mentored dozens of postdoctoral researchers during his 53 years as a CVMBS faculty member.
He currently gives lectures to undergraduate and graduate students on the concept of One Health (the interdependent health of humans, animals, and ecosystems) and the role of bacteria in health and disease.
“To his students, colleagues, and community, he continues to provide new knowledge about animal and human health and to provide an example of conscientious dedication to his craft and profession,” Lawhon said.
As an Aggie himself, having earned a bachelor’s degree in 1963, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1964, and a Ph.D. in 1968—all from Texas A&M—Adams continues to give back to future generations of Aggies through his role in the classroom.
Service
Because of his expertise in the areas of biodefense and the prevention of foreign animal diseases, Adams has served on numerous national and international committees and advisory boards.
He has contributed to the National Academy of Sciences’ (NAS) National Research Council Standing Committee on the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Programs to Counter Biological Threats, the DoD Committee on Biodefense, and the 2017 NAS’ “Revisiting Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area” report.
Adams was also invited by Dr. Anthony Fauci to serve as a member of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Blue Ribbon Panel on Bioterrorism and Its Implications for Biomedical Research.
His extensive and impactful roles in research, teaching, and service have also led Adams to be recognized with the 2012 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Lifetime Excellence in Research award, the 2015 American Association of Veterinary Medical College’s (AAVMC) Senator John Melcher, DVM Leadership in Public Policy award, and the 2017 AVMA Award.
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Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
