As part of its ongoing mission to recognize leaders in the Public Health space, Valent BioSciences has launched a Public Health Heroes program for the mosquito abatement and vector control community.
The following three honorees were nominated by their colleagues in celebration of their extraordinary contributions to Public Health. Each received a framed print artwork as selected by the colleague that nominated them.
Would you like to recognize one of your colleagues as a Public Health Hero for an upcoming issue of Public Health Landscape? Complete this form to submit a nomination.
Here are the three awardees:
Alicia Walsh
Agricultural Inspector III
Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Mosquito Control Program
Award: Chikungunya pathogen artwork
When nominating Alicia as a Public Health Hero, Dan Schamberger writes:
“In addition to many other duties, Alicia has worked very hard reorganizing and streamlining the maintenance and calibration processes for all of our various spray equipment. Through her hard work, she has made these processes much more reliable and efficient. In particular, I would like to recognize her efforts in calibrating and testing our air blast sprayer which will allow us to continue to develop its use within our mosquito control program for the application of Vectobac WDG to control mosquito larvae. She is an exemplary employee who is dedicated to promoting public health in Maryland.”
Lisa Wagenbrenner
Biologist
Chesapeake Mosquito Control
Award: Coquillettidia perturbans artwork
When nominating Lisa as a Public Health Hero, Dreda Symonds writes:
“Lisa has worked as a mosquito control biologist for 16 years and in 3 cities in the Hampton Roads, Virginia region. She is an exemplary field biologist whose knowledge of the mosquito habitats within our vast district is invaluable to our program. Her expertise is highly sought after through various training classes and outreach programs, and her enthusiasm and love of biology is infectious.”
Joe Carney
Supervisor
Citrus County Mosquito Control District
Award: Aedes albopictus artwork
When nominating Joe as a Public Health Hero, George Deskins writes:
“Joe has been with Citrus County Mosquito Control District for 24 years. In his time with the District he has filled several roles but has always worked closely with the Public. Joe is the first to volunteer for daunting tasks such as cleaning up tire piles or doing door to door inspections. In fact, in 2016 Joe led the way for our Zika task force doing door to door inspections for up to a half of a mile around all suspected cases here in Citrus County. Joe would ease the home owners mind while educating them about how they could protect themselves. Often times we hear stories at the beginning of a new week about something he found over the weekend or someone new that he got to talk to about mosquito control. With Joe you can tell it’s not just a job it’s a passion and that is why I would like to nominate Joe Carney as our Public Health Hero.”
