Pierce Gardner, MD, Professor Emeritus at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, is the recipient of the 2020 Dr. Charles Mérieux Award for Achievement in Vaccinology and Immunology from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). The award honors individuals whose outstanding lifetime contributions and achievements in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases have led to significant improvement in public health.

Dr. Gardner’s career has centered on global health policy and training the next generation of public health providers to tackle health issues in low-resource countries. The Setauket resident has done extensive international work and has been a consultant for the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board (now the Defense Health Board). He served in many educational roles while at the Renaissance School of Medicine and remains instrumental in fostering students’ global health interests related to their career paths.

Previous recipients of this national award include luminaries in infectious diseases such as D.A. Henderson (who wiped out smallpox), Arnold Monto (a pioneer in influenza vaccine), and Kristin Nichol (a pioneer in pneumococcal vaccination).