- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Reisen was nominated by the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District for "his special and significant contributions to the field of mosquito and vector control."
"Dr. Reisen's career spans over forty years during which he has published over 260 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in the field of medical entomology," wrote nominator Craig Downs, general manager of the Contra Costa MVCAC District.
"Throughout his career, Bill has directed projects studying the vector competence of mosquitoes for newly introduced viruses, established new surveillance testing paradigms, and initiated complex interactive networks, sharing surveillance data with mosquito control agencies and public health officials to speed mosquito control response times and to minimize disease risk to humans. Several examples of his continual scientific contributions include: the effects of climate variation on arthropod-borne pathogen transmission, modeling efforts for predicting arbovirus risk, the application of insecticides for reducing the disease burden of West Nile virus in California, the use of liquid suspension array technologies for the identification of mosquito blood meals and his keen observation of the role of stagnant swimming pools as breeding sites for Culex spp. vectors in Sacramento County.”
Internationally known for his mosquito research and publications spanning more than four decades, Reisen is now a professor emeritus with the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology (PMI), School of Veterinary Medicine. He is the former director of the Center for Vectorborne Diseases (CVEC). He serves as the editor of the Journal of Medical Entomology, and has advised many graduate students affiliated with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, PMI or CVEC. He is currently assisting in the completion of four doctorate and one master thesis.
Read more about Reisen's career on the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology website.
Meritorious service awards may be conferred on MVCAC members or non-members "who have made special and significant contributions to the field of mosquito or vector control in the State of California," according to the award criteria.
Reisen is one of only three UC recipients of this statewide award since 1981. William C. Reeves (1916-2004), UC Berkeley emeritus professor of epidemiology, and Bruce Eldridge, former director of the statewide UC Mosquito Research Program, based at UC Davis, and now professor emeritus of entomology, earlier received the award.
Previous recipients:
- 1981 William C. Reeves, Ph.D.
- 1992 Richard F. Peters
- 1993 John C. Combs
- 1997 Bruce F. Eldridge, Ph.D.
- 1999 Gilbert L. Challet
- 2011 John Stroh
- 2014 David Brown