University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor of Virology Yoshihiro Kawaoka received the 2014 Excellence in Research Award from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, according to a Monday university press release.
The award, which recognizes recipients for their research and leadership in the field of veterinary medicine, honored Kawaoka’s long--standing work with influenza, according to the release.
“Dr. Kawaoka’s research demonstrates the important impact veterinarians can make on global health, benefiting both animals and humans,” Dean Mark D. Markel said in the release.
The release credited Kawaoka, who specializes in virus mutation, for improving global health by advancing protection methods against natural viruses.
The global community recognized Kawaoka and his colleagues in 2011 after their discovery that the H5N1 flu virus, a strain of the “bird flu,” could potentially infect mammals through genetic mutation, according to the release.
Two years later, his research with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan showed a link between another strain of avian flu, H7N9, and deaths in China, the release stated.
Kawaoka has also mentored many students at UW-Madison and written for various globally recognized scientific journals, according to the release.
