The Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award 

Current Winners

JANE E. KOEHLER, MA, MD, is one of two recipients of IDSA’s 2011 Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award. Named to honor the memory of a former IDSA president who was renowned for nurturing the careers of others, this award recognizes individuals who have served as exemplary mentors, and who have been exceptional in guiding the professional growth of infectious diseases professionals. Dr. Koehler is professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

As a dedicated teacher and mentor, she has spent her career supervising and mentoring medical students, postdoctoral ID fellows, residents, and junior faculty. Dr. Koehler established a formal mentoring program for all ID and all junior faculty at UCSF. As part of her mentoring, she developed an invaluable guide, “How to Hire the Very Best People,” which has been disseminated at other universities.

Dr. Koehler is known for her contributions to understanding Bartonella pathogenesis. She has demonstrated a unique ability to identify medically significant problems, bring them to the bench, and translate them into clinical practice and epidemiological inquiry. Her colleagues say she has a remarkable passion and devotion for mentoring young women. In recognition of her efforts, she was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for the Advancement of Women at UCSF.

One of her mentees describes Dr. Koehler as a mentor who provides help at all stages of professional development: “From the most practical aspects of establishing and equipping a research lab, to the more subtle negotiation skills required to secure adequate funding and resources for leading a research enterprise, Dr. Koehler guided me (and many other fellowship colleagues) through the process of establishing oneself as an independent physician-scientist investigator.”

Dr. Koehler received her medical degree from George Washington University in 1984, and served as an intern and resident at UCSF. At the same institution, she completed a clinical infectious diseases fellowship, and simultaneous postdoctoral research fellowships in the Divisions of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Pharmacology/Experimental Therapeutics. Since 1992, Dr. Koehler has been a faculty member at UCSF.

For her commitment and skills of mentorship, and for her involvement in mentoring at a national level, IDSA is proud to present Dr. Koehler with a 2011 Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award.

WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, MD, FIDSA, an expert in infectious diseases and a renowned immunization advocate, is one of two recipients of IDSA’s 2011 Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award, which recognizes individuals who have served as exemplary mentors and have guided the professional growth of infectious diseases professionals. Dr. Schaffner is professor and chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine and professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also the current president of the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases.

For more than 40 years, Dr. Schaffner has served as a mentor for numerous Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers assigned to the Tennessee Department of Health, involving them in various epidemiologic and scientific investigations. Under his mentorship, recent EIS officers have served in Central and South America, the South Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. Perhaps best known for being the news media’s go-to expert on infection-related public health issues, it’s no surprise colleagues say that Dr. Schaffner’s trainees are recognized the moment they speak, as his mentorship in scientific writing and public speaking is a trademark in their careers.

“When one becomes the beneficiary of Bill’s mentorship,” one of his former trainees says, “one enjoys a very special relationship—warm, nurturing, intimate.” Other mentees describe his dedication, patience, and enthusiasm as a mentor as being unparalleled—touching their lives not only as a mentor but also as a friend.

Dr. Schaffner received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York in 1962, and served as an intern and resident at Vanderbilt University, where he was also a fellow in infectious diseases. From 1966 to 1968, he served as an EIS officer, where he was assigned as acting chief of the Division of Epidemiology at the Rhode Island Department of Health. Since 1969, Dr. Schaffner has been a faculty member at Vanderbilt. He has published around 250 original articles, and dozens of chapters, reviews, and editorials. Dr. Schaffner has served on numerous IDSA committees and work groups including the Board of Directors from 2000 to 2003 and served as secretary from 2007 to 2010.

For his outstanding mentorship skills, and for serving as a role model to innumerable people who have served in preventive medicine and public health, IDSA is honored to present the 2011 Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award to Dr. Schaffner.

Past Mentor Award Winners