The Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Williams career achievement award was developed to commemorate and celebrate her incredible life and to highlight the many contributions she made toward chronic wasting disease (CWD) research, management, and policy.

Beth earned her DVM from Purdue University and her PhD in veterinary pathology at Colorado State University. While working on her graduate degree she “stumbled” (as she put it), into CWD by identifying lesions in the brains of necropsied deer and elk. These lesions were consistent with a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), that were later known as an uncharacterized syndrome, called chronic wasting disease.

Beth’s career brought her to the University of Wyoming, where she continued to work on CWD. Beth was a productive researcher, working to improve our understanding of CWD and how it may affect cervid populations. She co-wrote the first paper characterizing CWD as a member of the TSE family of diseases, and published a series of papers on the ecology and distribution of the disease in Colorado and Wyoming. Beth was recognized nationally and internationally as one of the leading researchers on prion diseases, and continued to be a foremost expert on CWD throughout her career.

Beth’s contributions were much greater than CWD, she also was a renowned expert in all diseases of wildlife.  She was instrumental in saving the black footed ferret with her work on canine distemper and plague.  She worked tirelessly on respiratory disease in bighorn sheep, causes of mortality in the Wyoming Toad, brucellosis in elk and bison, as well as authoring numerous journal articles and book chapters on wildlife disease. Additionally, she excelled at teaching in the undergraduate program, directed and inspired many graduate students and research programs. At the time of her death, Beth was the editor of the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, which is a leading international journal in the field of wildlife disease.

On top of being an exceptionally accomplished veterinary pathologist and researcher, she was also an incredible person. Beth is remembered as a kind, humble, and generous person, who inspired everyone who knew her; she is still deeply missed to this day. 

This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated exemplary achievements in implementing CWD research, management, or policy.  Nominations for this award should address the candidate’s contributions or achievement in CWD management, research, and policy, and how those achievements have improved our understanding of CWD (e.g., ecology, biology, pathology, diagnostics, human dimensions, management, etc.)  Nominations should also describe other notable contributions such as mentorship of students and early career professionals in the field of CWD, and extension and outreach to improve understanding of the disease in stakeholders and the public.

Nomination letters not exceeding 3 pages, single-spaced should be sent to Thomas.J.DeLiberto@usda.gov and Samantha.Allen@wyo.gov by May 12.