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by Marcia Hill Gossard ’99, ’04 Ph.D. | Photo by Henry Moore Jr.
Douglas R. Call, associate professor in WSU’s Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology department, is the first recipient of the Caroline Engle Distinguished Professor in Research on Infectious Diseases. Dr. Call’s distinguished professorship will span four years.
“It’s always an honor when colleagues recognize the value of our work,” says Dr. Call, a molecular epidemiologist who specializes in antibiotic resistance research. “Our lab will use the awarded funds to conduct pilot studies and to support graduate education and recruitment.”
Dr. Call is a nationally recognized scholar who, in addition to his work on antibiotic resistance, has an active research program in food and water-borne diseases and salmonid aquaculture.
“Dr. Caroline Engle wanted to give something back,” explained Dr. Call. “She was involved in early research on retroviruses and cancer, and she wanted to show her support for disease research.”
Dr. Engle passed away in February 2008, and had been working with the college’s development team and college administrators for several years to provide her remarkable gift of $595,000 after her death.
Dr. Engle (WSU DVM’67) established the Distinguished Professorship in Research on Infectious Diseases to advance infectious disease research making a perfect match for Dr. Call’s efforts.
“Receiving the distinguished professorship is a testament to the extraordinary research done by Dr. Call,” says Dr. David Prieur, chair of the department. “Dr. Engle’s wonderful gift will have a substantial impact on the department’s major research for the control of infectious diseases of animals in the years ahead.”
After receiving her DVM in 1967, Caroline Engle was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania where she conducted research under a grant from the National Cancer Institute. Her research on feline leukemia formed the foundation for a cats-only clinical practice she founded in Vancouver, Wash. After retirement, she joined the Peace Corps and spent eighteen months in Ecuador translating veterinary information into Spanish at the University of Loja.