Abstract
I
Roger grew up on a farm in the UK, where he undoubtedly gained an appreciation for animal health and the complexity of disease management in farm operations. His passion for animal health resulted in a distinguished career in veterinary medicine that began at the University of Glasgow, where he received his bachelor of veterinary medicine and surgery degree and a PhD in veterinary pathology. His academic contributions included many scientific papers that had great impact and resulted in his being appointed to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Roger came to the United States in 1977, joining the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University, where he served as chairman of the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology and associate dean. Roger then joined the Washington Technology Center at the University of Washington, where his passion began for translation of discoveries in infectious disease to global applications in biodefense and biosurveillance.
In the United States, Roger was an early force in advocating for creation of new defense and security systems for defending agricultural assets from offensive use of biological agents. His deep knowledge of needed global reforms was informed by his relationships with international scientists during and following the dismantling of the Soviet biological weapons programs.
Roger provided outstanding executive leadership at the US Department of Agriculture, where in 1987 he joined and led efforts at Plum Island and then, as a senior executive service member, where he established and directed major new programs in agricultural biosecurity and counterterrorism. Roger also implemented new programs in agricultural biodefense and countermeasures including rapid diagnostics and vaccines as well as reforms in the culture and practices at Plum Island that stand today.
With the breakup of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a vast clandestine bioweapons program that had escaped detection during the Cold War, Roger led the biodefense community into the modern era. He visited the network of research stations, institutes, and manufacturing facilities that the former Soviet Union had compiled into a potent offensive bioweapons enterprise that the world would never have imagined. Beyond the facilities, materials, and machines, Roger saw that the know-how of the most capable scientists and engineers was the real challenge in stepping the world back from the evils of bioweapons.
In a way that only Roger could, he saw through to the other side of the coin to appreciate the opportunity to advance global health in unparalleled ways. In his eyes, the scientists of the former Soviet states could make meaningful contributions to the reduction of the threat by not only turning away from bioweapons work but by advancing the science of health security as part of the global scientific community. Through engagement of former Soviet scientists as peers and not adversaries, Roger's work was fundamental in walking the world back from the irreversible abyss of bioweapons.
As a member of the US National Academies Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats and Committee on Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures, Roger made many significant contributions to critical review and analysis of biodefense issues. For the past decade, Roger served as a senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Threats, where he contributed to Nunn Luger Counter Threat Reduction programs and to the Joint Science and Technology Investments on biosecurity and biodefense at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
Over this tenure, Roger was instrumental in launching new global efforts in biosurveillance, vector-borne diseases, molecular diagnostics, and medical countermeasures to thwart the threat of chemical and biological agents. He also worked closely with industry and the national laboratories in energy and defense working in biodefense and biosecurity, and in his last years, served in this capacity as a senior advisor at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories.
Roger mentored many young investigators over his career, helping them understand and execute complex ideas and programs in the international community. His mentorship extended beyond the new investigators to organizations and often to those he worked for.
Roger frequently held his tutorials over a pint. In a small corner of a pub, Roger would recount a small segment of his life. Each story would start with how the world was not quite right at that moment in time, and, through a seemingly impossible mixture of humor, skill, and courage, the earth would be placed back on the proper axis.
It was in this most unique way that Roger passed to many the courage to live beyond their inherited capabilities and achieve something remarkable. It is this indelible mark he made on so many that will be his legacy. It is so much more than pushing back scientific frontiers; it is the legions of his students who will at some time act greater than themselves. His knowledge, humor, and personality contributed much to his accomplishments. He will be missed.