PULLMAN, Wash. — Terry F. McElwain, Washington State University veterinary professor and executive director of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL), recently received the 2003 E.P. Pope Award from the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD).
The award is the highest honor given by the association. It was presented to McElwain, also director of the WSU Animal Health Research Center, for his contributions to the association and for his extensive work in veterinary diagnostic laboratory medicine.
McElwain is the immediate past president of the association and has been an active member of its accreditation committee for a number of years. Pat Blanchard, the awards chair, presented the award during the 46th Annual Meeting of the AAVLD in San Diego.
“Through Terry’s efforts, as a continuation of others before him, AAVLD has truly become a nationally recognized organization and is now on the scope among a number of government agencies,” Blanchard said.
McElwain’s contributions to the association include co-authoring a milestone paper that set the future direction for the association’s accreditation standards. He also adapted the Laboratory Response Network guidelines to apply to veterinary diagnostic labs by working with the Centers for Disease Control. This effort paved the way for veterinary diagnostic labs to join the Laboratory Response Network for Bioterrorism.
He also authored the monkeypox guidelines for animal testing with the goal of demonstrating that veterinary diagnostic labs can act quickly on short notice and are critical resources for diagnosing emerging zoonotic diseases.
McElwain has authored and co-authored several National Animal Health Laboratory Network policies and procedures, which lay the groundwork for producing a nationally integrated network of laboratories that would involve all 50 states.
“The award was very unexpected as it typically is not given to a standing president,” McElwain said. “It is truly meaningful to be honored by colleagues for whom one has the greatest respect.”
A previous director of WADDL, Dr. Tony Gallina, received the E.P. Pope Award in 1992.
WADDL, based in the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine is the only fully accredited, full-service, animal disease diagnostic laboratory in the state and provides essential laboratory services for the animal and public health communities. Each year the lab performs more than 250,000 laboratory examinations.
