Dr. D. Scott Merrell appointed ACBS Director

ACBS is excited to announce that D. Scott Merrell has been appointed as the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences Director. His first day will be April 3, 2023.

Merrell is an alumnus of Lyon College (B.S. Biology, 1992), University of Arkansas (M.S. Microbiology, 1996), and Tufts University (Ph.D. Molecular Biology and Microbiology, 2001). After a postdoctoral fellowship with world-renowned microbiologist Stanley Falkow, at Stanford University, he joined the faculty of the Uniformed Services University (USU) in 2004. He has led USU’s Emerging Infectious Diseases Graduate Program since 2018 and has a wealth of experience in leading graduate education, curriculum revision, and mentorship. He received the American Society for Microbiology’s 2008 Merck Irving S. Sigal Memorial Award for excellence in basic research in medical microbiology and infectious diseases, and since 2015, he received four separate Impact Awards for outstanding contributions to the USU School of Medicine.

Merrell’s “One Health” research focus on human pathogens and host-microbe interactions, perfectly aligns with the school’s Extension, teaching, and research missions, as well as the strategic goals for ACBS, CALES, and the UArizona. He is highly motivated to capitalize on the school’s One Health breadth, depth, and diversity and exceptionally well-qualified to be a leader at UA in the post-pandemic landscape for higher education.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Merrell to Tucson and wishing him well in his new position.