UW-Madison flu expert recognized for research excellence

Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine, talks with a group of media representatives during a tour of the Influenza Research Institute in 2013. Photo: Bryce Richter Yoshihiro Kawaoka , a professor of virology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine known for his groundbreaking work on influenza, has received the 2014 Excellence in Research Award from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). The award honors those who demonstrate excellence in original research, leadership in the scientific community, and mentoring in any veterinary medical discipline. Selected by a committee of peers, the recipient is designated as the outstanding veterinary medical researcher of the year. "Dr. Kawaoka's research demonstrates the important impact veterinarians can make on global health, benefitting both animals and humans," says Dean Mark D. Markel. "His contributions to our understanding of how viruses mutate will hopefully enable the scientific community to combat the next pandemic viral outbreak more effectively." Kawaoka focuses his work on better understanding naturally occurring viruses to help government and health agencies improve measures for protecting the population. He achieved global attention in 2011 when he and an international team of researchers showed that the avian H5N1 influenza virus could become transmissible in mammals after just a few genetic mutations.