Dr. Joel Bozue Named USAMRIID Civilian of the Quarter
Dr. Joel Bozue was named Civilian of the Quarter (Q3) at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Md. Bozue, a principal investigator in the Institute's Bacteriology Division, served as the U.S. Chairman of the Medical Biological Defense Working Group for the 20th Shoresh Conference on Military Medicine held in September 2022.
The Shoresh Conference is a biennial event that brings together soldiers and scientists at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command and the Israeli Defense Force to discuss ideas and advancements in military medicine. The conference is a research data exchange between the U.S. and Israel, and attendance has steadily increased over the years since its inception.
For the past seven years, Bozue has worked to expand the conference, including a diverse group of innovators who represent "the best of the best" in their respective fields, according to the USAMRIID nominating committee.
"Part of what I've tried to do is bring in newer USAMRIID and Israeli [scientists] to have them meet face to face, work together, and shake things up a little," said Bozue. "I am very grateful to my Division Chief for taking the time to nominate me for the award, and the awards committee for acknowledging the effort I put into making the Shoresh conference a success."
Bozue, a native of Gardner, Ill., has provided 23 years of dedicated federal service to USAMRIID. He is an internationally respected subject matter expert on bacterial select agents and a key contributor to integral scientific publications on tularemia, plague, melioidosis, glanders and anthrax. He currently serves as Chief of the Molecular Pathogenesis Branch within the Bacteriology Division, regularly providing mentorship and guidance to the 25 scientists who work in the branch.
"With this award, we recognize Dr. Bozue for his hard work to support this international engagement," said COL Constance Jenkins, USAMRIID commander. "He has been an excellent ambassador for USAMRIID."
In addition to his professional contributions, Bozue is somewhat legendary at USAMRIID for his creative holiday decorations. Thus, he especially appreciated one of the COQ "perks"–a front-row parking space for one month–as it allowed him to easily transport all the materials he needed to embellish his office door for USAMRIID's annual contest. The result? First place in the Bacteriology Division door decorating contest, and bragging rights until December 2023.