LAUREL, MD, March 31, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Wayne M. Meyers has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Hailing from a family background in farming, Dr. Meyers decided to pursue his interest in science professionally. He prepared for his career when World War II changed his plan, and he served two years in the United States Army in the Pacific Theater, 1944-1946 (New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan). He served in the 43rd Signal Company (cryptography) attached to the 43rd Infantry Division. After discharge, he returned to Juniata and completed his degree, earning a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Juanita College (Huntington, Pennsylvania) in 1947, completed a 2-year course in Bible at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where he met his future wide Esther Kleinschmidt, daughter of missionaries. He went on to get a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1953 and 1955, respectively, and an M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas) in 1959. While Dr. Meyers was studying at Baylor, he also worked as an Instructor for the school. Upon his commencement, he completed a yearlong internship with Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital (Johnstown, Pennsylvania), followed by a year of training as a staff physician at Berrien General Hospital in Michigan.
Dr. Meyers then moved with his wife Esther and children to central Africa, where he served as a missionary physician under American Leprosy Missions, first in Burundi and then in the Congo (Zaire) from 1961 until 1973. When he returned to the United States, he continued his research in leprosy and shared the knowledge and experience garnered from his years abroad with his students at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine (Honolulu) from 1973 to 1975. He then joined both the Leonard Wood Memorial and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (A.F.I.P., in Washington, DC) in a number of roles. From 1975 until 2005, his work (as a civilian faculty member) included research, training, and providing pathology diagnoses of biopsy specimens sent in from the caregivers of patients in the U.S.A. and foreign treatment centers. Young doctors came to the AFIP for training in the care of leprosy patients or for research in leprosy or other mycobacterial diseases, including Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans). The study of this disease, previously thought to be rare, became a huge part of Dr. Meyers' focus for many years. He and his colleagues provided the impetus for the World Health Organization to organize worldwide study of the disease and its treatment. Throughout his career Dr. Meyers conducted laboratory and animal studies in both leprosy and Buruli ulcer, in addition to field trips to countries where these diseases were a serious public health problem. Dr. Meyers officially retired from the institute in 2005, but continued to help both the aforementioned organizations and the American Red Cross as a visiting scientist until 2011.
Over the years, Dr. Meyers also conducted research in human and experimental leprosy, as well as other mycobacterial diseases, and published his findings in journal articles and books. His wife Esther was his assistant and secretary for his scientific publications (more than 420) and hundreds of scientific lectures. Further, he participated as a member of the board of directors of the International Journal of Leprosy from 1978 to 1993, and served as a research affiliate at Tulane University from 1981 to 2005. Dr. Meyers is currently involved as a member of the corporate board of directors of Damien-Dutton Society Leprosy Aid, Inc. and the board of references of American Leprosy Missions, Inc.
In recognition of his hard work and longevity, Dr. Meyers was selected for inclusion in every edition of Who's Who in America published between 1986 and 2016 and every edition of Who's Who in Science and Engineering published between 1993 and 2016. He was also honored to be featured in numerous volumes each of Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who's Who in the East, and Who's Who in the World. Additionally, Dr. Meyers was the recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award, Juniata College in 1985 and the honorary degree D.Sc. from Juniata in 1986; the Damien-Dutton Award, from the Damien-Dutton Society for Leprosy Aid, Inc., 1990; the Colonel George W. Hunter III Certificate for Excellence as Senior Lecturer in Tropical Medicine, Walters Reed Army Medical Institute of Research, 1993; the John Shaw Billings Lifetime Achievement Award, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 2008; the Life Achievement Award from the Alumni Association at Baylor College of Medicine in 2009, and was a World Health Organization research grantee from 1978 to 1987. In 2005 Dr. Meyers was awarded the Belgium Government's ITG Medallion from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Institut de Medecine Tropicale) in Antwerp, Belgium in recognition of contributions made in the fight against Buruli ulcer.
About Marquis Who's Who :
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America , Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America , Who's Who in the World , Who's Who in American Law , Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare , Who's Who in Science and Engineering , and Who's Who in Asia . Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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