The Dr. Daniel E. Salmon Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions and notable service in the public interest by a veterinarian federally employed in any human health, environmental health, or animal health discipline. This award was established to honor the first director of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry in its centennial year, 1984. Dr. Daniel E. Salmon was a world-renowned veterinary medical scientist who pioneered research in bacterial diseases of animals and immunology. His efforts led to the development of killed vaccines and to the naming of the bacterial genus Salmonella in his honor. His work contributed immeasurably to improving the public’s health and to disease control efforts in general. It is hoped that this award will encourage veterinarians to continue excellence in their performance and to aspire for public service as a lifelong career. 

This year, NAFV is proud to present the Dr. Daniel E. Salmon Award to you in recognition of your distinguished service, exemplary leadership, and pioneering contributions to the promotion of public health, infectious disease control, and the management of neglected health problems in underserved populations in the United States and the world.

CAPT. WILLY LANIER

Over his 20-year career in multiple federal agencies, CAPT Willy Lanier has been a visionary leader who   identifies gaps then forms multisector coalitions to collaboratively create better systems and policies.   CAPT Lanier serves as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Career Epidemiology Field   Officer (CEFO) (GS-14 equivalent) assigned to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services   (UDHHS) where he builds epidemiologic and One Health capacity as Utah’s first State Public Health   Veterinarian and a Deputy State Epidemiologist. 

CAPT Lanier has led high-profile investigations, including   SARS-CoV-2 infections in 5 zoo lions and 3 staff, Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections in 13 children linked   to municipal secondary irrigation water (a novel transmission route), and identified the vehicle of a   national Salmonella outbreak (32 illnesses, 20 states) linked to bearded dragons. He led the Utah aspect  of a national investigation of Salmonella carriage in backyard poultry chicks using samples collected from   shipping material, helping to solve 3 national Salmonella outbreaks (277 illnesses). He worked with the   Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) to address raw milk outbreaks by building trust. CAPT  Lanier helped UDHHS obtain $110K in funding, with which he built a surveillance system to detect SARS CoV-2 in pets and wildlife. 

He led the creation of an online rabies exposure assessment tool to ensure   proper post-exposure prophylaxis for at-risk persons. He guided Utah’s Shivwits Band of Paiutes to earn a   $700K US Fish and Wildlife Service grant to bolster zoonotic disease prevention capacity. He founded the   Utah Health and Environment Action and Resilience Team (UHEART), a private-public coalition with the   vision that Utahns make decisions based on understanding how our changing environment impacts   health. He created the Utah One Health Network, a consortium of state and local partners to   collaboratively address challenges. He leads the Utah One Health Symposium, bringing ~150 partners   together annually and providing professional development opportunities to students. He co-led Utah’s   first One Health vaccination clinic, providing care for pets and their people at the same time. Most   recently, he collaboratively led the development and approval of Utah’s Zoonotic Influenza Interagency   Plan and the attendant state-local information-sharing memorandum of agreement.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, CAPT Lanier led the investigation of potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission   in The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, finding evidence suggesting minimal or no transmission in the   context of prevention protocols. His leadership guided UDHHS to provide opportunities for convenient   COVID-19 vaccination through a focus on socially disadvantaged populations, with 3,458 doses given at   COVID-19 testing sites, public transit hubs, and a zoo during Aug 2021–Mar 2022; UDDHS used this   approach as a model in its vaccination strategies. Additionally, he oversaw a $70M budget to acquire   personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare providers and led the establishment of Utah’s PPE  distribution system. CAPT Lanier worked with a coalition of local stakeholders to develop Utah's COVID 19 Test to Play and Test to Stay systems, allowing safer, continued in-school learning and extracurricular   activities. His work also informed COVID-19 policy improvements, allowing for a reduction of quarantines   among students while incentivizing mask wear. 

CAPT Lanier first joined federal service in 2005 as a Public Health Veterinarian with the US Department   of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) where he supervised food/consumer safety   inspectors at multiple slaughter/processing facilities. CAPT Lanier collaborated with USDA-FSIS and CDC  to characterize similarities and differences over time of E. coli O157 isolates from ground beef and   humans. The publication summarizing these findings provided a better understanding into the strains   potentially associated with human illnesses linked to ground beef exposure.   

In 2009, CAPT Lanier was selected to serve as a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer assigned   to Utah where he led outbreak investigations, conducted epidemiologic analyses, and strengthened   public health surveillance systems. Among other impactful work, he led an investigation of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with rodeo attendance and provided recommendations to management to   prevent future exposures. His findings were cited in the National Association of State Public Health   Veterinarians policy document, NASPHV Animal Contact Compendium.  

After completion of EIS in 2011, CAPT Lanier utilized his applied epidemiology skills to accomplish   extensive, impactful work in the regulatory sphere. First, he served as a Response Team Leader for the   Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation Network. His   team engaged CDC, FDA, USDA-FSIS, and state/local health and agriculture officials in multi-agency   outbreak investigations of human and animal foodborne illnesses linked to FDA-regulated products. He   responded to 18 national outbreaks, including one caused by Mycobacterium associated with tattoo ink  (19 illnesses) and a Salmonella Bredeney outbreak (41 illnesses, 20 states) linked to peanut butter,  leading to the first time FDA used its regulatory authority to suspend facility operations.   

After FDA, CAPT Lanier returned to USDA-FSIS as a Senior Epidemiologist. He guided strategic planning   for foodborne outbreak response and facilitated after-action reviews (AARs) of foodborne outbreak   investigations in collaboration with local, state, and other federal partners, identifying and applying   lessons learned to close food safety gaps and enhance outbreak response. CAPT Lanier established in   USDA-FSIS an enduring culture of transparency and collaboration in outbreak investigations: he created   an online platform for USDA-FSIS to communicate about foodborne outbreak investigations, led 14   investigation AARs, and instituted a system for learning from outbreak investigations. 

He played a key   role in updating USDA-FSIS policy to allow the use of state laboratory results to decrease the workload   on partners and speed product recalls. Using lessons learned from prior outbreaks, he developed online   resources to enhance partner collaboration and highlight outbreak-informed food safety policy changes,   including details on the type of information USDA-FSIS needs to support recalls of suspect foods. CAPT  Lanier collaborated with the Association of Food and Drug Officials and the federal-state Shopper History   Outbreak Partnership to leverage the use of consumers’ purchase histories from their shopper/loyalty   card data as a tool to identify food borne outbreak vehicles. He led an inter-agency consortium to   create impactful resources aimed at preventing illness linked to chicken liver consumption. 

CAPT Lanier   led a coalition of industry (beef, swine, chicken, turkey, egg), government (federal and state agencies),   and other animal health and public health partners to develop a veterinary training module on   preharvest food safety in the USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s National Veterinary   Accreditation Program (NVAP) to protect the national food supply by addressing foodborne pathogens at   their source. The training module has reached 137 in-person learners and is scheduled to be listed as   NVAP module #40 online.  

Additionally, CAPT Lanier served in leadership roles in the US Public Health Service (PHS): Veterinary   Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) Chair twice (2017, 2020) and Chair/Ex-Officio/Special Advisor of   the Combined PAC Chairs Group (2021–23). He co-led the 2023 update of the Model PAC Charter and led   the 2023–present multi-PAC effort to propose a trainee application pilot to boost recruitment. CAPT  Lanier has deployed multiple times to provide needed service, including 3 deployments to support   domestic COVID-19 responses, 3 deployments to vaccinate animals on tribal lands, and a veterinary   humanitarian aid mission in the Caribbean. 

He has mentored numerous early-career professionals,   including >50 staff and students and established a One Health internship program at UDHHS. His PHS   mentees include a Junior Officer of the Year and the 1st Veterinary Reserve Officer.  CAPT Lanier’s federal service and contributions in One Health are exemplary. His accomplishments  throughout his career have helped protect the nation from multiple health threats. His influence on   policy and agency culture leaves an enduring impact on responses to future public health challenge