William R. Pritchard School of Veterinary Medicine Department of Medicine Recipient 1990-1991 Professor Pritchard has contributed public service leadership in veterinary medicine and education, as well as international agricultural development. He has played a major role in shaping the substance and nature of veterinary education nationally and internationally. Even as dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine from 1962-1980, a period when the school rose to national prominence, Dr. Pritchard was known for his commitment to public service. During his career, he participated in veterinary and agricultural projects in 65 countries and served more than 80 government agencies and non-profit organizations. In the 1960s, Professor Pritchard was an early advocate of federal support for construction of health science facilities. He worked to include veterinary medicine in the program, testified before Congress, and advised the National Institute of Health (NIH). He served on the NIH committee that administered the health sciences facilities programs for veterinary schools, and advised veterinary schools on facilities and program development. He was the only active veterinary educator on the National Academy of Science-sponsored Terry Commission on Veterinary Education, which, through its report, New Horizons for Veterinary Medicine, greatly influenced veterinary education in the 1970s and 1980s. As Chair of a National Academy of Sciences advisory committee, Dr. Pritchard played a key role in shifting the direction of animal research in the U. S. Department of Agriculture toward an emphasis on molecular approaches. He played a similar role in the competitive Research Grant Program of the USDA through developing guidelines for Animal Molecular Biology Program. Dr. Pritchard served on the prestigious President’s Science Advisory Committee on Biology and Medicine, which formulated U.S. biomedical research policy during the 1970s. In 1966, President Johnson appointed Dr. Pritchard to the Science Advisory Committee on Biology and Medicine to help formulate U.S. Research policy for the coming decade. Dr. Pritchard also served two terms as president of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, six years on its Executive Committee, and six years on the American Veterinary Medical Association/Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges Joint Committee on Veterinary Education. He served for five years on the United Nations-sponsored Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization Panel on Veterinary Education. Dr. Pritchard co-chaired the PEW National Veterinary Education Program, which, with his leadership for five years, stimulated a comprehensive review and reorientation toward differentiation in veterinary education in North America. Dr. Pritchard also worked with the PEW Charitable Trusts initiatives, known as “Future of the Health Professions” - a comprehensive study involving cross-cutting issues, confronting the seven major health professions, and the PEW Health Commission, composed of leaders of the health professions addressing policy issues confronting health care in the United States. Dr. Pritchard served as an advisor on veterinary education, animal health, and agricultural development in the rural sector to international development agencies - World Health Organization, U.S. Agency for International Development, World Bank, and United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. As a representative of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research - a consortium of 41 countries and agencies - he helped found the International Livestock Center for Africa located in Ethiopia and the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases in Kenya. As a member of the Rockefeller Foundation Board of Advisors, he advised veterinary schools and governments throughout the Third World. As chair of a National Science Foundation tropical disease development advisory panel, Dr. Pritchard reported to the U.S. Agency for International Development . He was a longtime livestock development advisor to International Service for National Agriculture Research in Africa. In 1972, he chaired the executive committee that conceived, negotiated a location for, and established the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD), now a top biomedical laboratory in the tropics. He was a member and chair of the Board of Directors of the ILRAD in Nairobi, Kenya. In the early 1980s, he worked to orient and focus ILRAD’s program on basis research. Dr. Pritchard has reviewed national veterinary research programs in Japan, India, Somalia, Thailand, Colombia, Educator, Peru, Chile, Brazil, and numerous sub-Saharan African countries. Back to Past Recipients